A chronicle spanning 90 years and time-tested recipes from hereditary bakers.
A chronicle spanning 90 years and time-tested recipes from hereditary bakers. Such a foundation of experience and folk traditions is a good basis for a strong economic foundation for bakery production. And if modern technologies and a cohesive work collective are added to this, then success in the market is guaranteed. In the last three years alone, the Polotsk branch of Vitebskhlebprom OJSC has invested about 2.5 million rubles in production development. As a result, since the beginning of the year, the growth rate of output in current prices has been 113.5 percent.
New Equipment to Assist
Together with the Deputy Director for Technical Issues, Yuri Guboglo, we are discussing the latest acquisitions.
"The largest purchase is a comprehensive mechanized line for the production of bakery products," says Yuri Georgievich. "We installed it two years ago. The new oven has not only significantly improved the quality of the products but also enabled us to expand their range. The baking speed has increased, and consequently, the overall productivity. The cost of the line is considerable – over 2 million rubles. We wouldn't have managed without a loan. There are many new items in other departments as well. For example, a modern air-screw compressor has ensured the energy efficiency of the process and improved quality – thanks to purified air working directly with the flour."
…The clock shows the end of the usual working day for all of us. But in the workshops of the Polotsk bakery, which operates around the clock, it is the peak of pressing matters. The aroma of freshly baked bread, yeast, cinnamon, and something else incredibly delicious is dizzying for the unaccustomed. Here, from the conveyor belt, one after another, practically like an avalanche, fall the rosy-cheeked loaves. One just wants to break off a crispy crust…
The shift supervisor, Liliya Kostetskaya, allows us to taste the fresh pastries. Delicious!
"This is our signature bread," explains the specialist. "The recipe is over 20 years old. City guests buy it as a souvenir-treat and take it hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. You see the monument to Prince Vseslav the Sorcerer on the packaging? It stands in Polotsk at the intersection of Oktyabrskaya and Evfrosinya Polotskaya streets. To use the image on the label, we had to obtain official permission from the sculptor. But now it's our unique feature, like a business card of the city's historical chronicle."
There is little time for conversations. All night long, the sourdough makers, dough handlers, and bakers will be busy so that by three in the morning, the vehicles can be loaded. Each van carries at least 15 items, up to a maximum of 60.
"First, we send orders to closed institutions – hospitals, kindergartens, and schools. Then, the shipment goes to retail chains," say the factory workers. "The schedule is very demanding. So, new equipment is excellent support. In just a couple of years, we have managed to modernize the entire cycle – from raw material preparation to finished product output. Now, the plan is to modernize the yeast department."
Everything Under Control
New compressors, refrigerating cabinets and chambers, dough rolling machines, dough mixers and dough dividers for bakery products, dosing injectors, and much more – all are utilized with maximum efficiency…
Here, from the conveyor belt directly to the trays, descend neat, narrow strips of cut dough. The factory workers lay them out in rows of four. A little longer, and the popular "saika" buns will come out of the oven.
Specialists from the production laboratory also work almost around the clock. Technologist Svetlana Kuznetsova and microbiologist Tatyana Iotkova brief us:
— We thoroughly check both incoming raw materials and products at all stages of their production. Together with technologists, we also develop new recipes. We analyze demand, discard some things, and implement others. This is a continuous process, and the demand, and therefore the financial stability of the enterprise, depends on its effectiveness. We are currently developing new types of hearth breads – with cranberries, dried carrots, and other ingredients. We continue to expand the range of extruded products as well.
Crispbreads are a separate specialization of the Polotsk bakers, a niche that brings the factory workers increasing popularity and profit each year. The enterprise now produces 11 types of crispbreads and seven types of confectionery strips. Despite sanctions, partners from the Baltic countries continue to purchase these products from Polotsk and transport them for sale in the European market.
Bread Economy
Every day, the Polotsk Bakery ships about 20 tonnes of bakery products and approximately one tonne of confectionery to customers. It also produces over two tonnes of bread crisps and sticks.
Since the beginning of the year, compared to the corresponding period last year, production here has increased by 35 tonnes. Revenue has grown by almost 2.6 million rubles. Excellent performance. Especially considering that two more sites – small bakeries and the service area of the former consumer cooperatives in Verkhnedvinsk and Miory – have been attached to the Polotsk Bakery branch.
— Of course, the distance is considerable, overhead costs are significant, and the material and technical base at the sites requires serious investment, — notes Yuri Guboglo. — We have already done some things there, and we are planning some more. The main thing is that we can now relieve the main production, and there is an opportunity to avoid duplication in the range of products manufactured. We are trying to minimise the disadvantages and achieve stable advantages through a clear division of responsibilities among all participants in the unified production chain.
Today, the Polotsk Bakery, which daily supplies fresh products not only to the residents of Polotsk, Novopolotsk, but also to Miory, Verkhnedvinsk, Sharkovshchyna, and Shumilino districts, as well as supplying goods to the retail chains of Vitebsk and Minsk, employs about 430 people. Among them are many representatives of family dynasties, hereditary bakers. For example, dough maker of the moulding shop Tatyana Melnikova works alongside her sister, Natalia Novikova, an operator for bulk flour storage. There are also those who have replaced their parents at their workplace, who once introduced them to the noble "bread" profession.
What has changed in the enterprise's operations with the tightening of sanctions? Specialists claim: nothing. Flour was and remains domestic. Buying dried fruits locally is also not a problem. There are no difficulties with other ingredients either. As for sales markets, life shows that those who have already fallen in love with the products of Belarusian manufacturers have never been stopped by borders, and never will be.
vitebsk-region.gov.by
