Consumers choose quality: what is the key to success for the nominees for the "Leader of the Year - 2024" award from Lida

The nomination of nominees for the International Business Award "Leader of the Year - 2024" is ongoing. This time, members of the expert council visited the Grodno region, where they got acquainted with the activities of OJSC Lida Milk Canning Plant and OJSC Lidapischekontsentraty.

OJSC Lida Milk Canning Plant: quality in everything Lida is certainly famous for its castle and historical heritage. Thousands of tourists come here. In addition to traditional magnets, guests take away delicious products as souvenirs. In addition to beer and kvass, local dairy products under the MiLida brand are especially popular. They are produced by OJSC Lida Milk Canning Plant. The company has held a leading position in the country's dairy industry for many years. The company's collection of awards includes hundreds of diplomas of various denominations. The key to success is the high quality of the products. They monitor it at each stage of production. The history of the enterprise dates back to 1949, when the construction of a dairy canning plant began in Lida. Initially, it produced only dry dairy products, but over time the plant expanded, new workshops were put into operation, which made it possible to significantly diversify the range.

- And today, OJSC Lida Dairy Canning Plant produces more than 200 items, - noted the general director of the association Andrey Ashmankevich. - The production cycle of the enterprise ensures the functioning of four main workshops, which are interconnected by a single technological process. These are whole milk and canning shops, dry skim milk and a dry dairy products shop. Among other things, the structure of OJSC Lida Dairy Canning Plant includes a water treatment station, a boiler house, a refrigeration and compressor shop, a transport section and other workshops and sections, as well as utilities that ensure the smooth operation of the enterprise. On the territory of the OJSC "Lida Dairy and Canning Plant" there is a canteen, a buffet, a health center, a hostel and a library - the social base of the enterprise is constantly developing to create the most comfortable working conditions for each member of the team.
The enterprise is improving. Modernization is a constant process here. Last year, the plant put into operation a modern vacuum evaporation unit. This is unique equipment, which has no analogues in Belarus. Its height is about 30 meters, and its special feature is its efficiency. With the help of the new product, it will be possible to save more than 2,500 tons of conventional fuel annually, that is, more than 1 million 600 thousand rubles. Plus, with its appearance, the process of milk condensation became automatic. As a result, the quality of the dry product improved, productivity increased. In addition to the modern milk condensation unit, the enterprise has another long-awaited new product - a CIP-washer, which allows for efficient and automatic cleaning of equipment and pipelines without the need to disassemble them. The enterprise has ambitious plans, including mastering the production of lactose-free milk and milk protein concentrate.
The modern history of the enterprise began when the structure of the joint-stock company included the branches "Oshmyany Cheese-Making Plant", "Smorgon Dairy Products" and "Novogrudok Gifts". As a result, one of the largest dairy associations in Belarus was created, uniting four specialized enterprises of the dairy industry of the Grodno region. After the branches were merged with the plant, the brand was rebranded. Today, the products of the JSC are supplied to the market under the MiLida brand.
- Having combined production capacities, we were able to process up to 1,750 tons of milk per day. The new structure allows us to talk about the release of a complex of various dairy products, - added Andrei Ashmankevich. - Today these are dry dairy products, such as skim milk powder and whole milk powder with a fat content of 26%, dry cream with a fat content of 42%, dry whey, buttermilk, casein. We also produce unsalted sweet cream butter with 72.5% and 82.5% fat content, assorted cheeses ,cottage cheese - frozen fat-free, 5% and 9% fat - and whole milk products. Our bestsellers are our wonderful cheeses: soft, hard, semi-hard. Recently, we have offered customers such delicacies as blue cheese, new lines of yogurts, desserts and much more.
Today, the company occupies a leading position on the Belarusian market. At the same time, more than 80% of the association's products are exported. The geography of deliveries is wide. Lida dairy products are loved in Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Japan, China, the UAE and Singapore. Foreign buyers are attracted, first of all, by the quality.

An interesting fact: the world-famous chocolate bars "Snickers", "Twix", "Mars" and "Bounty" also contain dry milk from the Lida Milk and Canning Plant. Every month, tons of this valuable raw material are exported from here . - Our dry milk products are in demand in distant countries. We undergo the appropriate certification, people come to us for audits - the high quality of our products is always confirmed, - emphasized the General Director of OJSC Lida Milk and Canned Food Plant. - This is the criterion by which consumers recognize and love us.

Each stage of production is under strict control. All products are made from high-quality selected raw materials. We have implemented and are operating quality management and food safety systems that meet the requirements of STB ISO 9001-2009, STB 1470-2012, STB ISO 22000-2006, FSSC 22000.

OJSC Lidapischekontsentraty: fast can be delicious
The products of this enterprise from Lida do not need a special introduction. They have long taken pride of place in the kitchens of many Belarusian housewives. OJSC Lidapischekontsentraty is one of the leaders in the production of instant products, dry breakfasts, seasonings and spices. And for 80 years it has been pleasing consumers with high-quality products. And its range includes about 200 items, and they are successfully sold in 20 countries of the world. In production, Lida food workers use unique technologies, original recipes and modern equipment. All this allows them to constantly expand their product line, meeting modern trends and consumer tastes.

And it all began with the production of cereal and vegetable concentrates, starch, dried vegetables and fruit and berry juices. Very quickly, products from Lida won the right to be in the home of every second resident of the USSR. By the way, briquetted soups were included in the dry rations of every Soviet soldier. The first samples of these products are still carefully
stored in the local museum along with other exhibits.

- The most popular items in the range are soups, kissels, jellies and flakes, - notes Vyacheslav Gorbachev, General Director of Lidapishchekontsentraty OJSC. - In general, we manufacture products under six brands: Lidkon, Lidskie Pripravy, Tvitnik, Priana, Khrumstik, TakiTak. This year, we introduced 24 new items to the market.

We pay special attention to improving the quality of the product. Therefore, technical re-equipment is one of the key elements of our development strategy. We also produce corn sticks under the Khrumstik brand, which have become a favorite of more than one generation of children. Today, they are produced with various flavors - both classic (sweet, vanilla, with condensed milk), and more modern and unusual (cola, tutti-frutti, coconut-almond, salted caramel,lemon ). The secret is in the traditional recipe, which was developed and implemented at our enterprise back in 1967. And since then it has not changed. Only the equipment has changed.
There are four sections here: food concentrates, "Hercules", seasonings and spices and Radunsky vegetable drying. Today, the JSC employs over 350 people. In order for the products to remain in demand, the company regularly invests in production, updates equipment and technologies, and masters original recipes. As a result, there is a stable economic position. Production and sales volumes are constantly growing, and profitability indicators are positive. It is important that profits increase not due to price increases , but by improving production processes and reducing costs. The enterprise is not going to lower the high bar in terms of production development.

- Recently, we have carried out technical modernization of the "Hercules" section, - says the head of the enterprise. - We installed a new line for the production of cereal flakes, put into operation equipment for the production of instant tea drinks and cocoa. We are also modernizing the food concentrate production, where cereals are cooked and dried. After the modernization, the capacity of the corn sticks line has doubled. The production of microwave popcorn has been launched, and an import-substituting project for the production of dry breakfasts is being implemented. The fleet of filling and packaging machines and automotive equipment is being updated. The plan for this year is to allocate 4 million rubles for modernization. In general, a comprehensive technical re-equipment program has been developed for five years.

As for external supplies, the main export market is the Russian Federation. Products are also shipped to China , Kazakhstan , Bulgaria, Germany, Armenia, Azerbaijan , Latvia, Moldova, and Israel. The task for the coming years is to expand the geography of supplies. The focus is on African and Middle Eastern countries. Last year, over 57 tons of products were sold outside the country. By the end of 2024 , this figure is planned to be increased to 65 tons.

- Our success in foreign markets is achieved due to several factors. Firstly, we are actively working to reduce costs, which allows us to remain competitive in terms of price. Secondly, we withstand competition in terms of quality, including by offering products that meet the specific requirements of consumers in each specific region. At the same time, we provide technical support for sales, promptly resolving any issues that arise, - the CEO shared the secret of success.
While the company experiments with the assortment, the quality has remained consistently high for many decades at Lidapischekontsentraty OJSC. Consumers know this, so they value and vote for the products with their rubles.

- Quality and naturalness are our main strategy, - emphasizes Vyacheslav Gorbachev. - And it's not just about precise compliance with technological processes, which goes without saying. The company has HACCP, Kosher certification, environmental management, and occupational health and safety systems.

In the production of products, we use only selected raw materials. In our own laboratory, there is strict incoming control. We also make every effort to find ingredients where they grow. Cereals are from Russia, rice is from Pakistan, pepper is from Vietnam, peanuts are from Uzbekistan.

Member of the expert council of the business award "Leader of the Year - 2024", director of the RPO "Belarusian Children's Fund" Lyudmila Podluzhnaya shared her impressions after visiting the enterprises:

- At one time, the Lida Milk and Canning Plant united three production branches. And now, under a single brand, products are produced that are known both in our country and abroad. Whole milk products Milida are high-quality and beyond praise, do not contain GMOs, preservatives. Everything is completely natural.

- When it comes to "Lidapischekontsentrat", the bright taste of corn sticks, familiar from childhood, immediately comes to mind. One of the most important advantages of the enterprise lies not only in the widest assortment: from healthy food products and culinary additives to the simplest packet of spices. This is, first of all, the preservation of ancient original traditions in recipes. At the same time, food specialists take into account both changes in the tastes of our citizens and modern requirements for production in general.
I would like to note the very hard-working and professional teams of both Lida enterprises, for whom the management has a solid social package, decent wages and the ability to provide workers with housing.

Very soon, the expert council of the business award "Leader of the Year - 2024" will evaluate the next nominees. And we will traditionally find out the names of the winners at the end of the year.