You are here » Home » Telling Our Story
Success Story
WA Ukrainian processed food company taps into global markets
Cereals Maker Tackles Global Markets
| |
Photo: Cerealia Ukraine Ltd.
|
|
A Cerealia employee oversees cereal production at a renovated breakfast foods processing plant near Kyiv.
A Ukrainian convenience food processor complies with international food safety standards and becomes a supplier for global food companies like McDonald’s.
|
As Ukraine works towards developing a robust market economy, companies are recognizing the importance of adopting standards that make their products available to global markets. This is especially important in the food industry, which follows strict international guidelines. With help from USAID, businesses in Ukraine are learning to comply with these guidelines.
Cerealia Ukraine Ltd is a company that makes and processes a variety of convenience and breakfast foods. To comply with international food safety regulations, Cerealia needed to redesign processing areas, renovate obsolete equipment, and educate personnel about sanitation and hygiene standards. Realizing that the company needed external help to complete this task, Cerealia sent its own specialists to USAID-funded courses conducted by the International Institute for Food Safety and Quality, respected globally for its expertise in the food safety field. Cerealia then asked institute staff to consult the company as it adapted its systems. With a great deal of dedication and with help from the consultants, Cerealia succeeded in complying with the major international food regulations.
Now, Cerealia Ukraine has become a supplier to McDonald’s Ukraine. Another globally known food company, Kraft Foods., is showing interest in Cerealia Ukraine’s products, and negotiations on supply details are underway. After inspecting Cerealia’s facilities, Kraft Foods auditors certified that Cerealia’s food safety system complied with the company’s criteria.
Compliance with safety standards has opened many doors for Cerealia and boosted its sales, too. The company increased sales by 18 percent in 2005, and in 2006 the company aims to increase its output capacity by 30 percent. It also hopes to launch a new pasta processing department.
Although the road to a competitive, efficient business environment in Ukraine is still long, with help from USAID, companies are gaining the tools they need to get there.
Print-friendly version of this page (476kb - PDF)
Click here for high-res photo
Back to Top ^ | 
