P.A.N. launches its ready-to-eat frozen arepa, an original version of this emblematic dish that will be available in Mercadona.

P.A.N. and its Snack On line of frozen products launches the P.A.N. Arepa, the original, frozen, ready-to-eat version. The launch of the Venezuelan brand, recognized for being a pioneer in the production of pre-cooked corn meal, is part of World Arepa Month, which is celebrated in September, and pays tribute to the internationalization of this Venezuelan gastronomic food.

“It is a practical, versatile and convenient product, with the original flavor of our Venezuelan arepa, in a format that maintains all the flavor and freshness of the traditional arepa, to satisfy all types of consumers and adapt to different lifestyles, including the healthiest, designed to simplify the daily lives of our consumers,” said María Alexandra Mendoza, P.A.N. Global Brand Director.

“This new product is an original P.A.N. arepas, made with pre-cooked white corn meal. The idea is to continue developing the product line with other differentiating values, which, as always, will be adapted to the needs of the global consumer. Because of its flavor, the popularity of the arepa has grown around the world, as it is a versatile product capable of adapting to different gastronomies, with any filling, topping, as a garnish, dessert, tapas and on different consumption occasions”.

This product will be available from Monday, September 5 in 36 Mercadona supermarket outlets, which represents a successful advance for the globalization of the brand and supports the quality of its products. The frozen arepas are ready in just 9 minutes, contain no additives, are low in fat and are a source of fiber. In addition, it is a product suitable for vegans and gluten-free. The package contains six units of 10 cm in diameter and 110 grams each.

“Thanks to P.A.N. the consumption of arepa was maintained since it simplified its preparation with the precooked corn meal created by us in 1960, now, with this ready arepa, the original one, which is made with the pioneer precooked corn meal, we bet again to massify the consumption of arepa, but now in Spain and the world”, Mendoza added.

The launching is part of the celebration of the month of the arepa, September, and joins a series of transversal initiatives undertaken by P.A.N. to commemorate this food made from corn, with a circular and flattened shape. The arepa already existed before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America in 1492. According to records, the Cumanagotos Indians (who inhabited what is known today as the state of Sucre, in Venezuela) consumed a corn preparation of rounded shape that they called ‘erepa’, a name that the Spaniards knew when they arrived in America, according to the Royal Spanish Academy.

“It is an important milestone for P.A.N. to launch this ready-to-eat arepa with Mercadona, since this new product changes the traditional way of eating arepas, as it is already prepared and ready in 9 minutes”, explains María Alexandra Mendoza, who comments that “it can be heated in a fryer, Air Fryer and oven”. For this reason, the director considers the launching “a fundamental step to bring a product as important for Venezuelan gastronomy as the arepa to the Spanish public, with an original version of the arepa that is triumphing all over the world”.