The open joint-stock company "Kovelmoloko" confidently maintains its status as the flagship of the domestic dairy industry. Kovel producers are already setting the tone for everyone working in the Ukrainian dairy products market. As the general director of JSC "Kovelmoloko" Vitaliy Shevelo assures, the enterprise currently produces the entire spectrum of fermented dairy, whole-milk and industrial group dairy products. In total, this is about 100 product names, which are sold in Ukraine and abroad under the corporate umbrella brand "KOMO" and sub-brands "Molochna Rodyna", "Gurmanika", "Vykrutas", "Ekonom". A signature line of "elite" class has been formed from individual types of products of these sub-brands. The elite class in particular includes all products that go on sale under the trademarks "Molochna Rodyna", "Gurmanika" and "Vykrutas".
The final touch to the production spectrum of dairy products was the establishment at JSC "Kovelmoloko" of the production of long-life milk (UHT milk). A corresponding technological line was recently put into operation at the enterprise. This completed the implementation of the far-sighted project "KOMO-UHT", begun in October 2003. It allowed the mastering of the production of a whole range of new dairy products – not only UHT milk, but also condensed, fruit and special children's milk of the "Vykrutas" brand. About 6.8 million hryvnias were spent on implementing the idea. These investments are funds earned here, in Ukraine, and invested in the Ukrainian economy with care for the consumer's health.
In Western Ukraine, no plant had ever produced UHT milk before. The planned production volumes are about 300 tonnes per month. This will enable the Kovel company to fully fill the mentioned market niche. And not only in the Western region. The exclusive distributor of JSC "Kovelmoloko" – the Trading House "Western Dairy Group" – today has an extensive network of its own branches in 17 regions of Ukraine and distributors in another eight. So any novelties of the brand will quickly find their consumer throughout the country.
New series – "Gurmanika-premium"
While others were celebrating the Christmas holidays, at "Kovelmoloko" they also started producing aerated dairy products – desserts, quark snacks and yogurt mousses. All over the world such products are considered the most "dietary", because they are the easiest for the body to digest. These "airy" dairy products have a delicate consistency and are especially "fashionable" in the West among middle-class people as morning breakfasts. Thanks to their beneficial effect on the body, in many countries this nutritious food is recommended for daily consumption by schoolchildren and preschool children.
Until now, aerated dairy products were brought to us from abroad (mainly from France, Poland, Russia). The unique technology for their manufacture at JSC "Kovelmoloko" was mastered first in Ukraine. The imported equipment of the Swedish company "Tetra Pak" available at the enterprise allows the production of a wide range of aerated dairy products. Currently, the assortment line of such products includes yogurt mousses, quark snacks and desserts. The novelties appeared on the market under the trademarks "Gurmanika" and "Vykrutas".
With the commissioning of the new line at JSC "Kovelmoloko", the production of a separate elite-class series "Gurmanika-Premium" has been launched. A pleasant surprise for the consumer was the unique flavours of the new products. Two types of aerated desserts of "Gurmanika-Premium" have appeared on store shelves – "Cherry Punch" and "Strawberry". Two yogurt mousses of this series have also gone on sale – "Caramel" and "Strawberry-Vanilla". In the near future, the release of several more types of "Gurmanika-Premium" is planned, which will satisfy the tastes of the most demanding gourmet.
A surprise of the new series is the two-chamber packaging for aerated desserts. In one of the chambers – a quark dessert, in the other – a fruit filling. In ordinary yogurts, the dessert mass is mixed with the filling, but in this case they are packaged separately. This enables the consumer to independently determine how much filling to add to the dessert so that the purchased "airy wonder" suits their taste exactly.
"Live" and more affordable
The assortment of the children's dairy brand "Vykrutas" has also been expanded. Aerated dessert quark snacks and yogurt mousses have been added to the milk and glazed quark snacks with the logo of the cheerful cat Vykrutas. The latter are also in two-chamber packaging. These are "Sunny Fruit Cocktail" and "Nectarine-Orange". Other Ukrainian producers currently do not have such exquisite flavours. As for the "Ice Cream Flavour" quark snacks, here Kovel technologists have found a very successful combination of traditional fruit flavours (orange, strawberry, apricot, honey) with the flavour of... childhood. Thanks to the original technology of manufacturing the product, such a dessert really tastes like favourite ice cream.
In total, at the new technological line of JSC "Kovelmoloko" it is planned to produce about 100 tonnes of aerated products per month. According to estimates by dairy market operators, Ukraine consumes about 3 thousand tonnes of such products annually. That is, the novelties aim to conquer a third of this market. Moreover, they have at least two significant advantages over imported ones: Kovel products are "live" and more affordable in price. Consumers who care about their own health are already paying attention to product shelf life. For yogurts from "KOMO" it is 21 days, for desserts – a month. For foreign analogues – 6 months.
The conclusions are easy to draw for yourself. At JSC "Kovelmoloko", exclusively natural fillings are used for the manufacture of this kind of product, which is why Kovel products are always fresh. Domestic production in Ukraine itself makes it possible to avoid customs duties and additional transport costs, and thereby reduce the cost price. All this allows domestic aerated products to successfully compete with similar French and Russian ones, and gradually gain a dominant position on the market.
Oleksandr PYROZHYK