Volunteer Helps Food-Processing Enterprise to Develop New Products

In today’s hectic world, the demand for high-quality, ready-to-eat products is constantly growing. On Sakhalin Island in Russia, Deli Department, the food-processing component of the Roznichnaya Kompaniya enterprise, was the only business to offer these products. The demand for ready-to-eat foods was so high, however, that their production space, equipment, and management techniques were not sufficient to meet it. Roznichnaya Kompaniya realized that it had to expand and develop new products in order to fulfill the needs of its customers, so it turned for a second time to the Farmer-to-Farmer (FtF) program for assistance.

FtF volunteer Tina Powers was willing and eager to return to assist the company with its plans and goals. In June 2004 Tina worked with Deli Department to help them make changes to meet the market demand for ready-to-eat food products. By the time she left, she had helped them with over 50 new products. However, much was still needed, including expansion of their operation, remodeling, new equipment, and new products. As more foreigners came to visit or work in the area, the demand for ready-to-eat meals grew and these changes become more important.

During her second assignment with the company, Tina and the staff were able to produce over 60 new products, several of which were available for sale immediately. Tina credited this success to the workers, saying “no one was negative, and everyone was willing to try new ideas and items.” Not only did she work to produce new products, but she worked with the employees to convey the importance of food safety and quality.

When Tina finished, she left many items to spur continued growth of the company, including CDs with thousands of professional recipes. With these tools and its continued efforts to improve the quality of its products, Roznichnaya Kompaniya will be able to maintain its status as the main player in the ready-to-serve food market in Sakhalin.