In the year 2020, PENNY set an ambitious goal—TripluRO (3RO)—aiming for 60% of the products sold in PENNY stores to have their main ingredient sourced from Romania (meaning it is grown, raised, extracted, or produced in the country) and to be processed and packaged in Romania. An ambitious goal, as its achievement requires close, long-term collaboration between the business environment and the authorities, with the common objective of developing local production in order to balance the trade deficit and support the local economy. In this context, in 2022 PENNY Romania launched “100 Business Ideas for Romania” – an ambitious and unique initiative for the local business environment. Together with the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 100 development opportunities for local businesses were analyzed across industries such as agriculture, packaging, and cosmetics, in order to identify solutions that could soon provide Romanians with 100% Romanian products aligned with the TripluRO (3RO) objective. Compiled in an informative guide, the “100 Business Ideas for Romania” represent a starting point for Romanian producers who aim to grow their businesses sustainably. The guide summarizes 100 essential business ideas needed to increase the number of local products on store shelves in Romania. These ideas also laid the foundation for organizing a series of seven roundtable discussions, attended by relevant authorities and local producers, where practical solutions were discussed to support the development of new business concepts or lines in Romania’s local manufacturing industry. TripleRO (3RO) A PENNY initiative Over the long term, the guide aims to inspire and generate a broader movement: an understanding of the need to develop Romania’s vertical production—from the main ingredient to the finished product on the shelf— in order to meet consumer needs and generate added value within the country. One year later, in 2023, PENNY continued the conversation around developing local production by launching the study “Strategies for Balancing Romania’s Trade Deficit by Stimulating and Supporting National Production,” in collaboration with the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. The goal was to identify effective solutions for boosting the production of 3RO goods—those with Romanian-sourced ingredients, processed and packaged locally—with the ultimate aim of supporting the Romanian economy. The study analyzed sectors such as agriculture, the bakery industry, the meat and dairy industries, alcoholic beverages, and cosmetic and home care products. It revealed valuable insights, including the fact that, starting in 2015, the value of agri-food imports has surpassed that of exports, leading to a trade deficit. According to the ASE study, the ranking of the most imported products has remained unchanged over the past 10 years but differs significantly from that of exported goods. The main imports are from the Food, Beverages, and Tobacco category (41.7% of total agrifood imports in 2022), followed by Plant Products (33%), and Live Animals and Animal Products (21.75%). The conclusions related to the import of food products, including live animals and animal products, also served as the basis for the study on the assessment of the econo-
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