The history of MAY company begins in 1991. The company was founded by Igor Lisinenko. Today, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Competent analysis of the market and accurate calculation made it possible to create a new enterprise, which became the first Russian producer of high quality tea.
Today MAY is the second largest player in the Russian tea market. It is an innovative and fast-paced organization. The company produces several well known and loved tea brands such as Maiskiy, Lisma, Curtis, Richard and Coffesso. The vision of MAY is to become the leader in the market of hot beverages. The company plans to become a global player by 2021.
History of brand development
The first tea brand of the company, famous Maiskiy Tea, was registered as an international trademark in 1991. For the next 25 years the development of MAY has been closely related to this brand. In 1998, when the financial crisis hit, MAY company, unlike other manufacturers, did not phase down production. On the contrary, it invested in construction of the first ever tea packing factory in the history of the Modern Russia. The project was carried out by MAY-Realty specialists, which is one of the business units of MAY company responsible for development of commercial real estate. Leading Western experts worked on the project, the most modern technological solutions were applied, the equipment from the world’s best manufacturers was selected. Also in 1998 the company brought to market a new tea brand - Lisma. As an inexpensive and high-quality option, it quickly won strong positions in the mass segment, repeatedly became a prize-winner of both Russian and international competitions and today is one of the leading brands in its category. In 2007, a new brand of tea Curtis was introduced to the company’s product portfolio. The specialists of the company came up with the idea of using dessert flavors in tea, which became instant success and formed a new and very popular segment of the market. In 2013 the Curtis tea collection won Brand of the Year/Effie - 2012 competition. However, over the years, the majority of prizes were awarded to the Maiskiy brand. Maiskiy has repeatedly been nominated The Best Product at the international exhibition Prodexpo, No. 1 Brand in Russia in the nationwide rating People’s Choice Brand. One of the most prestigious prizes received by MAY was Leader of Emerging Markets, awarded by the International Economic Forum in Davos in 2000. In 2014 MAY grew its product portfolio by introducing one more novelty - Richard - English tea with a royal history, which was warmly greeted by consumers. In the same year, the company launched a new world class high-tech coffee production and brought another innovative brand Coffesso to the Russian market. The Coffesso coffee is produced according to old Italian recipes from high-quality coffee beans of the best varieties. Moreover, MAY is the leader in terms of NPD in the industry. Every year, MAY brings the largest number of new products (SKU) to the market. Until the end of 2018 the company plans to introduce more than 50 new SKUs.
Highest quality standards
Compliance with international quality standards is a special priority of MAY. That is why high-quality raw materials for tea production are carefully selected and bought at auctions in India, Sri Lanka, China, Kenya and other countries of the world. In order to control the quality of raw materials at the procurement stage, the company opened its own representative offices in India and in Sri Lanka, which function as subsidiaries that conduct commercial activities and take part in auctions. Quality standards are applied not only to raw materials and finished products, but also to all business processes of the company. In 2004 MAY was the first in its industry among Russian enterprises to be certified for compliance with the international quality management standard ISO 9001. The MAY company has its own school of professional cup tasters and tea tasters. Specialists-tasters, who determine the quality of coffee and tea, are trained in India, Sri Lanka, China, Kenya and other countries of the world. They also participate in international industry competitions and championships. In 2015, tea products of the company were given the right to be labeled UTZ Certified. The UTZ Certified certificate confirms that tea has been produced taking into account all the requirements for protecting the environment and taking care of the people who produce it. In 2016, the company implemented a single FSSC 22000: 2010 food safety system at all stages of the product cycle from obtaining raw materials to end consumer experience. In 2017 the SGS Certification Body (Switzerland) confirmed the conformity of the MAY management system with the requirements of international standards ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Management Systems and OHSAS 18001: 2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (2017). Every year, MAY successfully passes audits to meet strict requirements for a product quality management system for McDonald’s suppliers (SQMS).
The MAY family
Talented people are the main value and key resource of the company. The MAY family is created by talented, competent, committed and productive employees who have the ability to satisfy not only today’s, but also tomorrow’s expectations of consumers and customers. Promoting talents and caring for employees is an essential part of the MAY corporate culture. Every year the company invests significant resources to ensure healthy and safe working conditions. MAY also constantly invests in its employees and helps them improve their professional skills. Today the company employs more than 1,700 highly qualified employees.
Modern production facilities
Today, May-complex, which is the A + industrial and warehouse complex with an area of more than five hectares is one of the largest in Europe. It is one of the largest tea production facilities in Russia and Europe. Every year more than 55 000 tons of products of the highest quality are manufactured here. The implementation of this project has had a serious social and economic effect on the region. It has created hundreds of new jobs, brought to the domestic market high quality and affordable product and started import substitution in the tea industry. All production lines are fully automated and strictly controlled according to the international standards ISO 9001: 2015 and the FSSC 22000v3 certification scheme. Many awards have been received for the highest quality of our product. The production uses the most advanced packaging technologies from the world’s leading manufacturers, including IMA (Italy), Teepack (Germany), and Tsubakimoto (Japan). All production lines are automated and have thorough quality control in several stages.
Sales channels and new markets
During last 10 years MAY has significantly expanded its sales channels in Russia as well as export markets. Among the company’s trading partners are leading multinational retailers and restaurant chains. After recommending itself as a reliable supplier and business partner, MAY company feels more and more confident in the HoReCa market every year. The company is a supplier of high-quality products in numerous chains of restaurants and cafes in virtually all regions of Russia. Among the most famous partners are such multinationals as McDonald’s and IKEA, where the company’s products are represented by such brands as Maiskiy, Curtis, and Richard. The company is already exporting its products to Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, China, Iran, and to all CIS countries. The MAY company sells tea in more than 35 countries in the world, and the export volume is growing rapidly. Strategic markets for the May in the near future are China, the Middle East, North America and Europe, and the company is dynamically growing in these countries. Today, more than 85% of production is going to the Russian market. The company plans to increase production and grow export capacity to 25% of the volume by 2021. MAY constantly studies the needs and tastes of its customers and strives to meet these requirements by developing new initiatives and offering novel products and services of the highest quality. Over the long history of the company, it managed to win the trust of customers thanks to professionalism, innovation and high quality products.
