Story

The company’s history is full of highlights and discoveries that were milestones both for food industry and Russian history. The company’s deep-rooted legacy makes it a unique bearer of the glorious manufacturing traditions of over a hundred years.

Birth of company «Koloss» Moscow Experimental Factory of Food Concentrates Detchinsky Vegetable Concentrate Factory (DZOK) Moscow Food Factory Supermak Pasta factory OAO Sladost 1990s 2000s 2010s MIRFOODS today Future plans

«RUSSKY PRODUCT» was created through the merger of several leading Soviet food manufacturers in 1996. Initially, the company comprised:

  • Koloss Moscow Experimental Factory of Food Concentrates
  • Detchinsky Vegetable Concentrate Factory (DZOK)
  • Moscow Food Factory
  • Supermak Pasta Factory
  • OAO Sladost

However, the company’s history began much earlier, at the dawn of the 20th century.

The origins of the factory date back to 1942, with the establishment of the Pishchevik workmen’s cooperative. In 1963, the large Moscow Concentrate Factory became a part of Koloss Factory. At the same time, Koloss Factory was joined with 2 other factories: Moscow Potato Product Factory and Kalyazin Vegetable Dehydration Factory. In the mid-1980s, several more factories joined Koloss, and this was a beginning of its beautiful history.

Koloss was the first to produce Soviet potato chips – it was called Straw and Moskovskiy crispy potatoes. The factory also produced Lubitelsky garnish potatoes, potato cutlets, crackers, sliced frozen potatoes for frying, and dry potato flakes for instant mashed potatoes. Production equipment was purchased in the UK and the USA.

For the first time in the Soviet Union, the factory launched the mass production of bulk concentrates (packaged dry soup mixes), including soups with vermicelli and meat, mushrooms, vegetables, chicken, as well as potato cream soup, borscht soup, Vesenny and Moskovsky soups.

The factory was named Koloss to stress its "colossal" product range. There was also a closed shop floor at Koloss factory which produced freeze-dried food for athletes and tube-packaged food for Soviet cosmonauts.

In 1987, Koloss successfully launched two new production lines to manufacture ready-made breakfast cereal and dried chicken mince. This allowed to increase production volumes from 20 to 48 tons of finished products.

In 1989, Koloss launched an Italian automated potato chips production line with a capacity of 2 tons of finished product per hour, and two Swiss automated instant pasta lines with a computer control system in 1991.

The decision to construct the factory was taken by the Soviet government in 1949, and already by mid-1950, the main building of the vegetable processing shop floor, workshops, a boiler house, a raw material department, and a water tower were built in Detchino village, Kaluga Oblast, and the necessary equipment was delivered.

In 1964, the factory produced the first trial product batch. Same year, construction of the batching shop floor, office building and a new higher capacity sublimation shop floor started.

The factory traditionally produced dried potatoes, carrots, onions, herbs, bulk concentrates and dry kissels. By 1970, the factory began producing cottage cheese, dried berries and fruits, freeze-dried minced meat, and dry combat rations.

The Moscow Food Factory was established in March 1931.

In fact, there was no food concentrate industry in Russia before. Workers and managers self-studied and created the technology and recipes from scratch, and searched for equipment that could be adapted for the foodstuff production. At the end of 1932, the plant began mass production of its first concentrate – cream soup in briquettes. In 1934, the factory produced four types of soup.

In 1936 Moscow Food Factory created a special product for the polar explorers, there were vegetable concentrates, which were praised by the members of famous Papanin’s polar expedition.

In 1940, the enterprise was awarded the Order of Lenin – the highest Soviet state award. The Great Patriotic War became a real trying times for the factory. Although the supply of raw materials was deteriorated sharply and many suppliers were occupied by the enemy, the factory managed to increase its production of food concentrates.

Production of the dry combat rations was the most important factory’s task during the war. The factory manufactured various types of rations for different military branches such as air force, tank forces, submarine fleet. Some workers secretly put notes into the ration packs: "Beat the enemy!", "We will win", "We are waiting for you".

Until the very end of the war, a shop floor that packaged these rations was called the Combat ration shop floor.

Just after the war, the factory was the first in the country to produce baby food, as well as cakes and cream mixes.

At the same time, the factory was expanding its product range producing dietary products, corn puffs, soup packages, Hercules rolled oats, natural and instant coffee, coffee drinks, cocoa, as well as in-flight meals for Aeroflot airlines and long-distance trains, including single-serve packs of instant coffee, ground pepper, seasoning mixes, and salt.

By the 1980s, the production at the factory was almost fully automated and mechanized, promoting the improvement of product quality and increasing productivity.

The pasta factory’s history dates back to 1956, when it produced crispbread. In 1975 it was reorganized under the name of Moscow Pasta Factory No. 2, and finally renamed Supermak in 1993.

The factory's products were in high demand with the consumers due to their low price and reasonable quality. The assortment included a wide variety of pasta, including macaroni, vermicelli, fusilli, etc.

The history of the enterprise began in 1861 when it called N.G. Grigoriev Sausage and Gastronomic Food Factory. In 1975 the factory then called the Moscow Experimental Cannery became a part of Koloss Factory. In 1993, the factory became again an independent entity and was renamed OAO Sladost.

The factory products were in great demand among the people. The factory also manufactured cocoa powder and kissel briquettes for food service providers, as well as fruit marmalade for Aeroflot catering.

In 1989 gingerbread production line was modernized and its capacity increased by 30 tons.

In 1996, «RUSSKY PRODUCT» integrated all five factories.

This intergartion allowed one factory to manufacture the ingredients for a product made at another factory. This resulted in the creation of a single brand offering a consistent range of products.

The end of the 1990s was remarkable for «RUSSKY PRODUCT» as a famous “blue wave” appeared. When a huge flow of well-packaged foreign goods poured into the local market, quickly pushing domestic products off the shelves, many Russian manufacturers either lost to foreign competitors or failed to gain an understanding of the new environment.

The transition to colored packaging was one of the most complex processes for our company that took over two years to implement. In the 1990s, it was difficult both to find a good print shop and to create a new original design. That’s when we manager to create a famous “blue wave”. Although many marketing specialist consider blue color as not a popular color for food products and think that it’s only good for frozen food, the new packaging helped to increase sales 10 times.

In 2000, DZOK celebrated its 50th anniversary. The same year, a factory reconstruction plan.

In 2003, Russia’s first full-cycle instant coffee plant was launched in Detchino (full-cycle production, starting with green coffee roasting).

In 2008 the Company introduced SUPERSOUP to the market. It was a truly innovative product, an instant soup in a cup with croutons in lid, appeared, and it gained a great popularity.

In 2011, the company launched the production of instant chicory powder in various package.

In 2013, we completely redesigned Hercules oat flakes package. The new design was proposed by an artist couple from Moscow via email. They recommended to redesign the characters depicted on the Hercules Traditional oat flakes package and give them new modern appearance, while retaining the key image (peasants in a field). The proposal was approved, and the updated product soon hit the shelves.

In 2014, the production of baking mixes was largely overhauled.

In addition to the updated packaging design, the company significantly expanded its product range to meet consumer needs. Now, «RUSSKY PRODUCT» manufactures various cake, pancake and bread mixes, as well as other flour products under the Pechem Doma brand.

In 2015, the company significantly upgraded its snack production line at the Koloss Factory. A new Kiremko (Netherlands) production line with a capacity of 2000 kg/h of finished product was purchased and put into operation. In the same year, «RUSSKY PRODUCT» purchased two high-performance TNA (England) packaging machines, allowing simultaneous production of potato chips of several flavors.

In 2016, «RUSSKY PRODUCT» set up a new company Moskart, dedicated to production of Moskovskiy Kartofel potato chips.

In 2019, our company launched the new robotized line for Hercules oat flakes production and packaging.

In 2020, Russian economy and businesses faced many challenges. However, things were going well for Russian food industry. People were staying at home and cooking more than ever.

«RUSSKY PRODUCT» was happy to support medical personnel, the heroes of our time. Over 300 industrial boxes of the Three Jams oat flakes were sent to the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The pandemic has shown the growing demand for the company’s products. One of the strengths and advantages of «RUSSKY PRODUCT» is that we offer food for a healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating is a global trend that helps our company to increase its food production.

MIRFOODS actively invests in upgrading its production processes to a cutting-edge level. Thus, we consistently improve high quality of our products as it’s vital for us to offer the best to the consumer, not just to sell our products.

Factory reconstruction and equipment upgrade allowed us to increase output and improve quality standards. Raw materials, production processes, and finished products undergo strict quality control.

MIRFOODS has its own innovation center that develops new products, launches them into production, selects packaging materials, and prepares the necessary documentation. This allows the company to continuously offer new products to the market. Our new products include oatmeal bars and Hercules cereals made from different grain crops.

The company has a certified production laboratory that conducts organoleptic, physical, chemical, and microbiological tests of raw materials, packaging materials and finished products.

The company plans to continue developing the key product groups (cooking and instant Hercules oatmeal, Pechem Doma ready-made baking mixes, SUPERSOUP cooking and instant soups, RUSSKY PRODUCT kissels, jellies, and drinks, Bakaleya101 ingredients).

In the near future, the company plans not only increase the output of the already familiar products, but also develop new brands (HOMEMADE soup sets, Pechem Doma Kids baking mixes, etc.).