Polotsk Dairy Plant to produce instant dry milk

VITEBSK, 25 August (BelTA) – Polotsk Dairy Plant is set to start producing instant dry milk, BelTA learned from chief engineer of the company Mikhail Chernevich.

The company is now studying technologies to make new products that are in great demand on the Russian market. “Instant products are easier to reconstitute,” the chief engineer said. He emphasized that having instant dry milk in its product portfolio the company expects to make additional profit on the Russian market, as instant milk sells at a higher price. The new product might be added to the company’s powdered milk lineup as early as next year.

The company is considering a possibility to start processing whey, a byproduct of making curds. “We are conducting tests and analyzing what kind of equipment will be needed to switch to the complete processing cycle and to start producing whey powder, another product that is highly popular on the Russian market. If this production turns out to be very costly, we might team up with the dairy companies from Glubokoye and Lepel that have plans to produce whey powder after their upgrade,” the chief engineer said.

The company is determined to expand its presence and secure its positions on the Russian market. To achieve this, the company has been implementing an upgrade project for the past several years. The upgrade efforts are designed to improve the product quality and increase the output of popular products with a high added value.

With a view to satisfying the increasing demand for dairy products in Russia, the company has maximized the capacity of its milk bottling line. This line bottles milk in plastic containers. The new equipment has allowed improving the taste of milk and kefir and extending the shelf life of products. “First of all, we need to meet the domestic needs,” head of the company’s economic department Yelena Kuzmina said. She added that the company delivers about 5 tonnes of milk and 12 tonnes of kefir in modern packages to Belarusian retail outlets every day. The line produces 30-35 tonnes of milk and 30 tonnes of kefir per day. The bulk of the products are shipped to Russia.

In H1 2014, the company exported 52.2% of its output, or $19.1 million. The company is operating in the black. The return on sales over this period stood at 12%. The major sales markets abroad are Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Smolensk.

Yelena Kuzmina noted that the plant would like to install a PET bottling line to produce yogurts. “We would like to occupy this niche on the Russian market. To do this, we need cutting-edge refrigerating equipment. We are currently working on it,” she said.

Polotsk Dairy Plant is a fast growing company. Its product portfolio features about 80 names of products. This year the company will mark its 70th anniversary.