REPORTAGE: Focus on quality and development is the secret of the success of the Grodno "Dairy World"

Grodno JSC "Dairy World" is one of the leaders of the dairy industry in the country. More than 0.5 million tons of MILK are processed here annually. The products (more than 500 of them are produced at the enterprise) are familiar not only to Belarusian buyers - Dairy World is known in the European Union, Africa and Asia. In general, the company is represented on the market in almost three dozen countries. At the same time, the indicators of exports of products in recent years have increased by almost 10 times. BelTA correspondents visited the enterprise to learn the secrets of quality work.

However, no one was going to hide them. Marina Anikeeva, DIRECTOR General of Molochny Mir OJSC, reveals her cards on the move. She is sure that the successful work of any enterprise is possible only in the symbiosis of a competent and well-coordinated team, modern equipment and high-quality raw materials.

"We work efficiently and profitably. In recent years, we have more than doubled the volume of milk processing. Once we exported products for $15 million, then for $30 million, and now we have reached $143 million. This is not just a serious milestone, but actually a global recognition," notes Marina Anikeeva. She emphasizes that this was achieved because the products manufactured at Molochny Mir meet the quality standards in force in various countries and regions.

“This is both halal and kosher, and, of course, the strict requirements of the European Union. Already today we can say that Belarusian milk is a world famous brand,” said the director of the enterprise.

To achieve all the necessary international certificates, it was necessary to modernize production. Investments are serious, but they built literally entire workshops. One of them is for the production of hard cheeses. With its products, Molochny Mir successfully competes with manufacturers even in those regions where there are centuries-old traditions of cheese making, including in the EU countries.

Cheese today is the number one product for the enterprise; it is not for nothing that it is called the crown of the dairy industry. The cheese shop now processes about 400 tons of milk per day. The output of finished products is about 40 tons of cheese.

The production process of hard cheese is very complex, time-consuming and takes an impressive amount of time. The cheese is boiled, goes under the press, where it takes the desired shape, then for a day or two, depending on the recipe, it is sent for salting in a special bath. Next - packaging and ripening in a special chamber, where the necessary humidity and temperature are maintained, and the cheese is turned over at a certain time. The minimum ripening period can be from 15 days, for example for cream cheese. And the popular "Parmesan" ripens for a year.

“Cheese production is an interesting and responsible job that requires both high-quality raw materials and scrupulous adherence to recipes and technology. In addition, in order for the product to turn out to be of high quality and tasty, one must approach the production process with love,” says master cheese maker Yvetta Narush. She notes that the equipment and experience of the employees allow the production of any kind of cheese. They produce here not only cheeses according to proven classic recipes, but also try to offer the buyer new tastes. One of the novelties is a semi-hard cheese with truffle, cheeses with other natural additives are also produced.

The modernization of the enterprise does not stop. The expansion of the range allows you to express yourself in an increasing number of markets. Now, in particular, cottage cheese production is being updated. Another new line allows the production of groups of soft cream cheeses.

“We see great interest in such cheeses in the world. Therefore, in order to be competitive in the markets of various countries, we deliberately went in this direction,” said the director of the enterprise. She stressed that, despite the EXPORT orientation of the new products, the emphasis will be placed on the domestic market.

Other export directions are also actively developing. For example, sterilized milk and cream produced on the new line are supplied to 8 countries . The launch of a line of packaged butter in large packages of 1 kg and 2 kg, oriented to the countries of the East, made it possible to increase the export of these products by 3 times.

The department of whole-milk products has also received a new development. More than 230 items of products are produced here. Milk, kefir and yogurt are packaged simultaneously in several types of containers on several lines at once.

"We try to keep up with the times, so we regularly update and modernize the equipment. This allows us not only to expand the range of products, but also to increase production volumes. Compared to what it was when I started working at the enterprise, the volume of raw materials processed per day has increased almost three times,” Alexey Goncharov, HEAD of the whole-milk production department, shows the new equipment. He emphasizes that all production is automated. The human factor on the way of production to the buyer is practically excluded.

Modernization of production allowed to increase the depth of processing. Today, even whey, which remains after cheese production, is used. Whey products are of greater importance in export deliveries and bring profit to the enterprise.

The company puts quality issues at the forefront. Both incoming raw materials and finished products are strictly tested in the internal laboratory. But dairy production does not start at a processing plant, but at an agricultural enterprise.

"The quality and safety of products must be ensured all the way from the farm to the shelf in the store. We must be sure that the cow that gave milk was healthy and well fed. It's a fact: milk from a happy cow makes products tastier," says Marina Anikeeva. Therefore, work with suppliers (and the raw material base of JSC "Molochny Mir" - 53 farms in 8 districts of the Grodno region) is built in a trusting format. At the enterprise, only with a share of a joke, they say that they know by name not only milkmaids on farms, but also cows. After all, they work together to improve the quality of raw materials. Another incentive for farms is one of the highest purchase prices for milk in the country. As a result, 98% of the raw materials supplied to the enterprise are extra and premium grade milk.

The pandemic did not affect the work of the enterprise. “We rebuilt quite quickly. Therefore, at the end of the years, not only did we not reduce the volume of deliveries, but even received a significant increase. We also managed to open new markets. The pandemic did not break us, but only made us stronger,” Marina Anikeeva noted.

She once again emphasized that all the achievements of the enterprise became possible thanks to the well-coordinated work of a large team. About 2 thousand employees work at the production site in Grodno and in the branches in the regions of the region.

"Last year showed that we have a very friendly and close-knit team. I am grateful to the employees for showing prudence and unity. An enterprise is first of all people. Production, development, modernization - all this is possible when there are qualified, competent, trained personnel ", said the director. She stressed that it is not enough just to provide people with decent wages, it is important to create comfortable working and leisure conditions, to support them in various directions. One of the good traditions of the enterprise has become taking care of the children of employees, encouraging them, for example, for academic success. There are many young people among the employees of the enterprise, who chose their place of work consciously. Decent conditions and opportunities to realize oneself professionally are good conditions for starting a career.

Molochny Mir is not going to stop there. The plans include not only further modernization of production facilities, but also the construction of a logistics complex, as well as the development of branches.

Sergey GAVRITSKY,

PHOTO by Leonid SCHEGLOV,

BELTA.