EkoNiva starts milk and cream supplies to Kyrgyzstan

First consignments reach Kyrgyzstan

EkoNiva has sent almost 40 tonnes of milk and cream from Russia’s Voronezh region to Kyrgyzstan in refrigerated trucks. The deliveries extend the availability of its branded dairy products to all Eurasian Economic Union countries.

A local partner handles distribution in Kyrgyzstan. The products are sold through retail outlets and supplied to hospitality businesses.

Earlier approval for the cheese plant

In May 2023, EkoNiva’s plant in Shchuchye, Voronezh region, received certification for exports to Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The approved range included cheeses, curds and sour cream. Specialists from Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision audited the enterprise’s documentation, manufacturing operations and technological processes.

The group’s Anna dairy plant had already received certification for supplies to Customs Union countries. Milk, cream and butter from that facility were being shipped to Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus. EkoNiva had been developing its dairy export business since 2020 and was also supplying China and Uzbekistan by May 2023.

The processing base in 2023

Ekosem-Agrar AG, EkoNiva’s German holding company at the time, recorded 279,500 tonnes of finished dairy products in January–December 2023, compared with 164,000 tonnes in 2022. The group’s annual operating figures, published on 9 January 2024, put the year-on-year increase at 70%. The main product categories accounted for:

• 265,000 tonnes of drinking milk and traditional dairy products;
• 6,200 tonnes of yoghurt and desserts, including ice cream;
• more than 8,300 tonnes of cheese.

The group’s own farms produced 1.26 million tonnes of raw milk in 2023, against 1.19 million tonnes in 2022. Its branded product range reached 88 items at year-end. Domestic distribution covered 70 Russian regions and 60,800 points of sale. The group also operated 76 branded shops.

Cheese remains a further opportunity

EkoNiva has processed milk since 2013 and had four processing plants when the Kyrgyzstan supplies began.

The earlier Shchuchye certification enables the group to broaden future supplies with own-brand semi-hard and hard cheeses. The initial consignments to Kyrgyzstan contain milk and cream.