Ekosem-Agrar expands its presence in Russian supermarkets
6 May 2019 Corporate News
- Supply six supermarket chains
- Presence to be expanded to some 200 points of sale in Russia
- EkoNiva product range meanwhile comprises 50 articles
- Development Minister Gerd Müller visits EkoNiva facility
Walldorf, 6 May 2019 – Ekosem-Agrar AG, the German holding company of Russian milk producer EkoNiva Group, continues to increase the availability of its dairy products in Russian retail stores. Since the beginning of May, the “EkoNiva” product range is available in some 200 outlets of various Russian and international retail chains in Greater Moscow but also in Kaluga, Voronezh and Lipetsk. Products of the EkoNiva brand can then be found in the stores of the Globus, Okey, Da!, Selgros, Auchan and Karussell chains. The Ekosem-Agrar Group thus continues to dynamically expand the presence of its umbrella brand, which was launched in November 2018. Since February 2019, the EkoNiva products have additionally been distributed by the Utkonos online supermarket.
By processing and selling its own milk, Ekosem-Agrar, the largest milk producer in Europe, continues to expand its value chain. This allows the company to guarantee the quality of its products across the entire supply chain, to respond more flexibly to price fluctuations in the milk market and to tap additional revenue and income sources. In the medium term, the Group is pursuing the strategy of processing all the raw milk it produces itself.
Stefan Dürr, main shareholder and CEO of Ekosem-Agrar AG: “We are highly satisfied with the progress we have made in expanding the market presence of our still young brand. We are in ongoing talks with other retail companies and expect to be able to place our products in further supermarket chains by the summer. In addition, we plan to launch an organic product line in mid-2019.”
The product portfolio meanwhile comprises 50 articles, including fresh milk with different fat contents, long-life milk, drink and organic yogurt, desserts, kefir, sour cream, curd and butter. Customers’ response to date has been very positive, and the EkoNiva products have already won several awards such as the “Golden Clover” for the best milk.
Minister Gerd Müller visits EkoNiva
Recently, German Development Minister Gerd Müller was also able to experience the quality of EkoNiva dairy products on his trip to Russia. On 24 April 2019, Minister Müller visited Voronezh, where he attended a conference on “The role of Russia and Germany in feeding the world population” hosted by Ekosem-Agrar CEO Stefan Dürr. After the conference, Gerd Müller visited the facility in Verkhniy Ikorets, where he was not only given an insight into milk production at EkoNiva but also had the opportunity to taste the broad product range of the young brand.
About Ekosem-Agrar
Ekosem-Agrar AG, Walldorf, Germany, is the German holding company of Ekoniva Group, one of the largest Russian agricultural companies. With more than 141,000 head of cattle in milk production (thereof approx. 75,000 dairy cows) and an average milk production of over 2,000 tonnes per day as of end of March 2019, the company is the largest milk producer in the country. The group controls more than 535,000 hectares of farmland and rates among the leading seed producers in Russia. Stefan Duerr, founder and CEO of the company, has been active in Russian agriculture since the 80s and has played a decisive role in its modernisation over the past three decades. In 2009, he was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit for his contribution within the German-Russian Agricultural and Political Dialogue Project. The corporate group has about 10,000 employees in eight regions in Russia and achieved a total output of EUR 246 million and an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 69.5 million in financial year 2017. For further information visit: http://www.ekosem-agrar.de/en
Contact
Adrian Schairer // T: +49 (0) 6227 3585 936 // E: ir@ekosem-agrar.de
Irina Makey // Ekosem-Agrar AG // Johann-Jakob-Astor-Str. 49 // 69190 Walldorf // T: +49 (0) 6227 3585 919 // E: irina.makey@ekosem-agrar.de // www.ekosem-agrar.de
Media / Investor Relations
Fabian Kirchmann, Anna-Lena Mayer // IR.on AG // T: +49 (0) 221 9140 970 // E: presse@ekosem-agrar.de