MINSK, 10 December (BelTA) - The Kommunarka confectionery factory has tripled export since 2013, director general of the factory Ivan Danchenko told reporters, BelTA has learned.
“We have significantly ramped up the production as we have installed new equipment - by about 60% since 2013.The production of chocolate and candy is growing. We have not invested much in caramel yet, as sugar and confectionery syrup are more expensive in Belarus than in Russia. We are planning to invest in this sector some time in the future. Export has tripled since 2013. Today, a third of the output is bound for export,” Ivan Danchenko noted.
Kommunarka's products are exported to about 22 countries. The main market is Russia, the next largest - Ukraine and China. This year, the export to the Chinese market has increased sixfold. “It was not easy to enter this market as our products are sticky-sweet for Chinese customers. For them we have made candies with more peanuts and less sugar. They are also in demand in the domestic market,” Ivan Danchenko said.
From 2012 to 2016, the factory installed three new production and technology lines and upgraded the chocolate paste sections. This year, Kommunarka commissioned a new production line for chocolate and chocolate candies to produce chocolate with fruit and two-layer fillings.
With more than 100 years of history, Kommunarka manufactures chocolates, sweets, cocoa powder, waffles. The company produces 30,000 tonnes of sweets per year (more than 250 items). The number of employees exceeds 1,500, 75% of them are women.
Photos by Oksana Manchuk
