Worthy of gold. Why dairy products from JSC "Milkavita" receive awards at international exhibitions

Four gold medals from Prodexpo-2023 - the most prestigious 30th International Exhibition of Food, Drinks and Raw Materials for their Production - were recently brought by the team of JSC "Milkavita" to Gomel from Moscow.

For what it was awarded several top awards at once and how one of the most successful enterprises of the dairy industry in Belarus builds a production and marketing strategy, we learned firsthand.

- We took four products of the MILKAVITA trademark to Prodexpo in Moscow. What is especially pleased, all four received gold! - says Zhanna Potapchenko, HEAD of the sales and marketing department of the enterprise, and lists the star products: - These are two new items: semi-hard cheese "Belarusian Classic" (45% fat), fermented MILK bioproduct "Bifitat", as well as cream (20% fat, tetrapak) and butter sweet cream (82.5% fat).

The choice of the Milkavita trademark by a professional jury, which included experts from the strictest department - ROSSELKHOZNADZOR , is a well-deserved award to the team, which is based on three pillars: only natural raw materials, the latest production technologies and highly professional competent management!

By the way, the company from Prodexpo-2023 brought not only awards, but also a contract for the supply of products to Uzbekistan!

And this is only the first. The company expects that following the results of work on the exhibition podium in Moscow there will be a lot of them.

- A number of agreements have been reached on entering new markets, expanding the range of products supplied to a number of regions where OJSC Milkavita is already known. In particular, to the Far East (including Vladivostok, Khabarovsk), where so far only certain types of goods are sold, in particular cream. Local companies of this and other regions of RUSSIA, a number of countries intend to expand the range of purchases, - says Zhanna Potapchenko and clarifies: - The effectiveness of the results of negotiations and tastings at the exhibition will be shown by work throughout the year!

Zhanna Ivanovna is confident that exports will grow in the coming year:

- Being on business trips outside the country, we were convinced more than once that dairy products from Belarus are especially valued and never stale on the shelves. First of all, thanks to the excellent quality.

By the way, despite the break in supply chains, the difficulties in settlements in export-import operations caused by sanctions, the EXPORT of Milkavita OJSC in 2022 amounted to 110.5% compared to 2021.

The high quality traditions of Milkavita JSC, an enterprise that appeared in 1927 on the basis of the Dairy Shop artel, have always been one of the main priorities of its almost century-old development.

“Today, a whole team is in charge of product quality control, and it is represented by employees of the raw materials department, the factory laboratory, which, by the way, has more than 40 people,” says Irina Shakhrayeva, head of the production laboratory.

- Every day we receive up to a thousand tons of raw materials. We check every batch. Since more than 170 farms are included in our raw materials zone, the factory veterinarian is constantly on the road: he monitors the conditions for keeping and milking cows, the state of refrigeration equipment on farms. If the indicators of incoming milk deteriorate, employees of the raw material department are sent to the farm. The result of cooperation is as follows: 70% of raw materials are supplied to OJSC "Milkavita" as extra and higher grades.

Production capacities allow to produce up to 600 tons of whole milk products (in particular, up to 100 tons of UHT milk, 60 tons of cream, 15 tons of dessert group, 12 tons of cheeses, 30 tons of butter, 50 tons of dry dairy products. Everything finds its consumer. "Bifitat " and "Bifitel" OJSC "Milkavita" began to produce at the end of 2022, but the demand for them is already high.

- Both products are useful for boosting immunity and are simply indispensable after taking antibiotics that kill beneficial microflora in the body. It is no coincidence that they have entered the menu of those who have had a hard time with a pandemic or have been ill with other diseases! - Natalya Adygamova, Deputy General DIRECTOR of JSC for Quality, emphasizes.

JSC "Milkavita" sees its development strategy in updating technologies, expanding the range and output volumes. For example, a new line for automatic filling of milk and dairy products into PET bottles was recently introduced.

- Its launch will allow to increase the output and sales of products, - says Natalya Adygamova and specifies: - By the way, we will modernize the filling machine that we have discontinued, equip it with transport systems and continue to produce drinking yoghurts in 350-500 gram packages. Very convenient for a snack for those who go on a journey.

While working on expanding exports, the Milkavita staff still considers the saturation of the domestic market to be the main task. Dairy products of the manufacturer are constantly present on the shelves of retail chains and traditional retailers in the Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk and MINSK regions. The products of OJSC "Milkavita" are especially loved and appreciated in their native Gomel region. If in other parts of the country the dessert group and cream are more popular, then in the local region all product groups of the enterprise are represented (and in demand).

- And this is not surprising, - says Zhanna Potapenko. - Local residents value their own, native, which their fellow countrymen, relatives and acquaintances had a hand in the production of.

Such patriotism of the buyer is worth a lot!

Two novelties of JSC "Milkavita": semi-hard cheese "Belarusian classic" (45% fat content), fermented milk bioproduct "Bifitat", as well as cream (20% fat content, tetrapak) and sweet cream butter (82.5% fat content) were awarded gold medals 30- th International Exhibition "Prodexpo-2023" (Moscow).

Tamara MARKINA

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