USAID Supports a Azerbaijani Processor to Expand Product Line
In its first year of operation, a fruit and vegetable company processed 400 tons of pickled cucumber and purchased 50 tons of aseptic tomato paste from a large canning factory in the area for repackaging into 720 gram jars. In the five years since, the firm had lost access to tomato paste anymore and became solely reliant upon its pickled cucumber operation. Its management turned to USAID’s Rural Enterprises Competitiveness project for help.
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| Technical recommendations from USAID’s Rural Enterprises Competitiveness project helped this cannery to increase its sales by processing new products and producing 400,000 jars of canned vegetables and 180,000 bottles of lemonade |
Mobil Penjaliyev, a processing specialist with the project’s Azerbaijan Agribusiness Center (AAC), conducted a site visit of the plant and saw great potential in the company’s unused equipment. The plant’s location in Lankaran, southern Azerbaijan, offers easy access to raw materials such as feijoa (a juicy, green fruit), blackberry, and squash. Penjaliyev encouraged the firm’s owner to think about processing these products. The owner was interested and requested assistance with expanding the plant’s production capacity.
Penjaliyev helped the company management and technologist develop the processing technology for new products such as pickled tomato and pickled squash. Already this season, the company has processed 300,000 jars or 136.36 tons of canned tomato and 100,000 jars or 45.45 tons of squash. The AAC has also assisted the firm with label design for the new products.
Last year, the company opened a water processing facility. Penjaliyev provided management with technical recommendations for producing lemonade, for which there is significant demand. The company has made lucrative deals with local wedding facilities and plans to sell 180,000 bottles this year, increasing sales by $83,720.
Recently, the AAC supported the company’s attendance at the Interfood Moscow trade fair and on an AAC study tour to Bulgaria. In Russia, the company found a Czech buyer and sold 90,000 jars of assorted pickles. In Bulgaria, the company learned about modern packaging and processing and made some potentially valuable connections with the European market.
The AAC is continuing to work with this firm to expand its market, increasing exports and finding new buyers.
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