Produkty Pitania is one of Russia’s largest and fastest-growing frozen convenience food companies. The company produces and distributes its products under the trademark labels - Zolotoy Petushok, Rossiyskaya Korona, Baltptiсeprom, Domashnaya Skazka, Hot Team, Fresh Produkt and Perfetto.
As a market trendsetter in product quality, variety, and safety, Produkty Pitania has built one of Eastern Europe’s most advanced manufacturing operations, using only the latest high-tech production equipment from many of the world’s most respected suppliers.
History of success
Produkty Pitania Company Group is the largest producer of semi-finished products and frozen ready-to-eat products. The Group of Companies Produkty Pitania comprises ООО Produkty Pitania Kombinat, ООО Gusev canning plant and OOО ТPC Baltpticeprom located in Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad region. Founded in 1994, the company paved the way for a new generation of Russian enterprise – one that puts business integrity and consumer safety first, aligning closely to international business practices and procedures. In 1998, the company broke ground on its first production facility in the Kaliningrad region – inspired by its desire to launch something extraordinary and unique in Russia, as well as in other CIS countries. Produkty Pitania has also assembled a state-of-the-art production network and an elaborate distribution system, which encompasses all of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Today, company’s frozen convenience foods facility in Kaliningrad boasts four production plants, along with distribution and storage centres, and administrative office space, totalling 57,000 square meters, and producing up to 13,000 tons of product each month. Gusev canning plant includes 4,836 square meters of space (of which 1,374 are devoted to manufacturing) and produces 3,2 million cans per month, adhering strictly to GOST standards. When Baltpticeprom is the only Kaliningrad region producer of broiler chicken meat of the GOST government standard, with the capacity of 26,000 tons of chicken meat per year. Produkty Pitania divided its efforts into two phases over a period of more than 19 years. The first phase covers the period from 2000 to 2008, when the company launched her first and second plant (2000 and 2003) and began creating its own distribution network, erecting distribution centres in the Kaliningrad and Moscow regions. The company also started the construction of its third and largest plant (2004), which was designed to incorporate high-tech processing equipment by NIJAL and built its first railroad line to ensure adequate distribution throughout every region in Russia. In 2005 Produkty Pitania opened its fourth plant dedicated to producing a new line of pasta products and ready-to-prepare lunches. And in 2006-2007 the company launched construction plans for its new canning plant in Gusev, Kaliningrad, followed by the launch of plant number 3 along with a research and development center. In 2008 Produkty Pitania began work on its Gusev plant. The second phase covers the period from 2010 to 2015, when despite a two-year economic downturn, the company inaugurated its Gusev canning plant, purchased a poultry breeding and processing complex Baltpticeprom in Kaliningrad, introduced the new brand Rossiyskaya Korona to the market, opened own retail chain of convenience stores called Fresh Market in Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad region, modernized Baltpticeprom and launched new line Zolotoy Petushok Hot Team and co-branding projects Rio-2ТМ, Kung-Fu Panda-3, Star WarsТМ. 2016-2017 brought next achievements, such as the first stage of poultry-farming complex expansion in the Kaliningrad region on the territory of 30 hectares.
Main products and brands
Produkty Pitania manufactures and distributes products under the company’s trademark labels: Zolotoy Petushok, Rossiyskaya Korona, Domashnaya Skazka, Batlpticeprom, Hot Team, Fresh Produkt and Perfetto. Zolotoy Petushok is the leading brand in the Company’s portfolio and also #1 brand in the frozen convenience food category in Russia according to a 2012-2016 customer survey. The key benefit of products manufactured under the trademark Zolotoy Petushok is the natural content in each major product group. Rossiyskaya Korona trademark (premium quality brand) has been in the Company’s Portfolio since 2012. The range of products of the trademark is composed of three lines: ready-made meals (including lasagna, julienne and lenten meals), meat patties, and canned food. The “ready-made meals” of the Rossiyskaya Korona trademark are fully cooked second courses. There is a broad selection of products: traditional meals (meals with a piece of meat) and our unique “Lenten menu” - blessed by Danilov monastery. The main competitive advantages of Rossiyskaya Korona products are their use of natural ingredients and authentic homemade taste. Baltpticeprom products: broiler chicken meat (by the government standard GOST), which offers a wide range of chicken, sausage products and fish. Products manufactured by Baltpticeprom are free from growth hormones for maturing chickens, has poultry GOST quality (not injected), exceptional taste and affordable price. Domashnyaya Skazka (economy line) are affordable products made from ground chicken meat. The brand is aimed to compete with unpackaged “generic” convenience products. The target consumers are people who value quality, taste and desire the convenience of inexpensive products. Brand portfolio is constantly expanding: it includes new products such as Hot Team line under the ТМ Zolotoy Petushok,Perfetto, Fresh Product as well as co-branding projects MadagascarТМ, The SimpsonsТМ and Star WarsТМ). The range of products offered comprises over 200 items: ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products made from chicken, pork and beef. Ready-made meals and lasagna, natural cheese snacks, dough products, canned foods and other products have consumer-friendly packaging - i.e. bags, boxes, trays and aluminum cans. Company’s strategic partners in the production of packaging are Grafobal Vilnius and AR Packaging Group AB. We are striving to bring something new and unique to each co-branding product. Continuously expanding our product portfolio and improving the existing recipes, we attempt to ensure our consumers get a quality product that meets all their high requirements, - says Stefano Vlahovich, the President of Produkty Pitania Company Group. - We are continuously working to improve the taste of all products and to expand the range. We are constantly moving forward. And we know for sure that our products will be in our customers demand. I want to highlight nuggets, for example. It’s one of the main assortment product groups of our company. We were the first to start producing nuggets in Russia more than 19 years ago, and then - other manufacturers. On the one hand, the demand for these products demonstrates positive dynamics, and on the other hand, the consumer is becoming more and more demanding on the assortment of frozen products of full availability and semi-finished products, their quality and composition. But the most important assessment for us is the recognition of consumers. Based on the results of nationwide voting, our products were recognized as No. 1 brand in the Frozen Semi-finished Products category (from 2012 to 2016). The introduction of new products to the market, the implementation of investment plans and a positive market environment will allow us to increase the production of frozen and ready-to-cook products by 20-25% in 2017 - emphasizes Stefano Vlahovic.
Production process and high quality focus
Produkty Pitania’s Kaliningrad based production complex is Russia’s largest frozen foods manufacturing operation and one of the industry’s most advanced enterprise. This complex includes 57,000 square meters of total area - comprising of production factories, distribution and storage centres, and administrative offices and produces up to 13,000 tons of product per month. It incorporates cutting-edge, hi-tech equipment from the world’s leading suppliers (GEA Group, Stein, Frigoscandia Equipment, Marel, John Bean Technologies and others). Produkty Pitania production facilities are certified according to HACCP and IFS International standards. The production is certified according to “HALAL” standard, when Euro-number assignment gives the company the possibility to export products to European Union countries. Produkty Pitania uses a comprehensive and company-patented quality assurance system, based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ISO 9001 standards. The company maintains fully automated business processes, using SAP All-in-One (ERP and MRP class systems). The company is one of the leading suppliers in the HORECA industry. It has all the appropriate resources and conditions to implement projects for tailor-made products, private labels, co-branding projects. On a continuous basis, Produkty Pitania introduces up-to-date and innovative solutions to production maintaining European quality and food-storing standards. The company utilize its international experience to create innovative domestic products and pursue constant quality improvements. This enables the company to be a leader in the field of offering revolutionary products to the Russian market. And in exchange for its efforts, Produkty Pitania has received the consumer “stamp of approval” for quality, as designated by a special diploma from the Moscow Consumer Rights Protection Foundation.
Achievements and further development
Company’s products were awarded 6 gold medals and the Cup of the German Butchers’ Association for high quality products at the largest international trade fair IFFA-2016 in Germany, as well as THE BEST PRODUCT-2016 for high quality products at the largest Russian exhibition of food products Prodexpo-2016. As one of Kaliningrad’s major employers and investors, Produkty Pitania provides jobs for 2,200 employees. The Company constantly invests into development of production capacity, state-of-the-art technology, development of innovative products and maintaining stable quality, logistics and product promotion. Produkty Pitania is one of the largest investors in the food processing industry inside the Kaliningrad region. The development strategy involves investing into modernization and expansion of own production, including advanced technologies and relevant infrastructure, innovative products, national distribution system. Company’s extensive distribution network covers all of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and provides superior customer service in remote towns. Own modern distribution centers are located in Kaliningrad City (2,500 tons capacity), in the village Old Kupavna in the Moscow region (5,000 tons). Products are widely sold in retail chains; also Produkty Pitania has its own retail chain of convenience stores in Kaliningrad called Fresh Market. The company has a solid customer base (over 600 of leading distributors and chains, over 67 500 sales points). When it comes to new investment projects for 2017 Produkty Pitania has already started the first stage of poultry-farming complex expansion in the Kaliningrad region on the territory of 30 hectares, which will include the construction of one cluster with 20 poultry houses (one farm) and the construction of hatchery for 45 mln. eggs per year. Construction completion is expected in November 2017. Expansion of poultry-farming complex will increase production volume by 10 000 tons to 36 000 tons of poultry meat. Short-term plans of the company includes construction of two clusters with 20 poultry houses and a feed milling plant.
