Jams and marmalades  from Berestechko are enjoyed in the Baltics

The plant renewed from the ruins in the Gorokhov district has been confidently hold for 20 years even during the "storms" in the Ukrainian economy.

Today, the company's crafts produce 25 types of products that are in demand in many regions of Ukraine. And not only. One month ago Latvians appreciated jams, marmalades and condensed milk from Berestechko. So, the company became the only supplier of fillings for the Daugavpils confectionery factory in Ukraine. The first batch of Volyn delicacies was sent - 20 tons.

The main condition of success is a good owner

However, in Soviet times the branch of the fruit cannery of Maryanivka near Berestechko which people called "salting" had considerable exports. At that time, almost all the republics of the USSR knew the unsurpassed taste of it`s sauerkraut, cucumbers, tomatoes, compotes, jams… They were exported to Japan, France, Germany, Poland. However, in the early 1990s this production like most enterprises of the food and processing industry in Ukraine, did not escape destruction.

Олександр і Наталія Захарчуки: «Ми дуже дбаємо про імідж підприємства, здобутий нелегкою працею, про свою репутацію».

Bare walls and a lot of rubbish was seen here in early September 1998 by  Peter Zakharchuk,  a native of the village of Dykovyny. The look of the abandoned plant did not change the decision to buy it and re-establish production. And the next day former employees of the plant came to Petro Zakharchuk to apply for a job.

The family Zakharchuk have many new ideas. Their credo remains the same - to value people and love own work.

— Then, for eight months six people raked, loaded, and removed 70 garbage trailers from the building. They rebuilt, installed the purchased equipment, washed, whitewashed and painted, - said engineer Yevhen Pashkevych, who since 1979 worked in the branch of the cannery as a mechanic, chief engineer, director and after recovery happily returned to work.

After hearing that in Berestechko again would be accepted for processing not only apples, strawberries, cherries but also tomatoes and cucumbers ,the residents of the whole district began to grow more vegetables on their land plots. And now raw materials are transported even from other areas.

The first batch of products from 10 thousand three-liter jars of cucumbers and the same number of canned tomatoes also 80 tons of jam  was not easy to sell. In the autumn, entrepreneurs from Donetsk came to the Gorokhiv region to exchange oil for potatoes. The selling in easterners was sluggish, so one day they offered their goods to Peter Zakharchuk. The head of the plant first waved away his hand: "Why do I need your oil, I already have problems with tomatoes, cucumbers and jam." And then he thought for a few days, met with the same entrepreneurs and advised them to test a few boxes of their products. Less than a week later, I heard from the East of Ukraine on the phone: "Peter, load your car with jam to us because it's better than potatoes."

Good fame quickly spread to Luhansk and Crimea, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Rivne and other regions of Ukraine.  Looking at the number of orders canned tomatoes and cucumbers, salads, Krasnodar sauce, tomato paste, apple compotes,birch sap, tomato juice and other juices were liked by shoppers, owners of confectioneries, children in kindergartens, wards of boarding schools…

Unfortunately, the first head of the enterprise Petro Zakharchuk died tragically in an accident 14 years ago. The family business was successfully continued by his brother Oleksandr Andriyovych Zakharchuk and his wife Natalia, who is a commercial director.

The war brought some changes to the work of factory

While  husband is engage in organizational  issues related to equipment and repairs, Mrs. Natalia carefully controls the production.

— Defective goods is a rarity in our company and such products do not go beyond the plant. Our product  is of high quality and meets the requirements of Gosstandart. We really care about the image of the company  gained by hard work ,about our reputation, - says Natalia Zakharchuk. - There are three times more competitors now than ten years ago. And everyone has to find their niche in the market.

The war in Donbass had a negative impact on the development of entrepreneurship. Zakharchuk partners in Donetsk and Luhansk regions had to close their business. The sudden decrease in the number of orders has led to a reduction in the list of product names from 32 to 25. But the plant's management is looking for new markets.

Директор Берестечківського плодоконсервного заводу Олександр Захарчук, голова районної ради Тарас Щерблюк, Горохівський військовий комісар Віктор Дрозда з військовослужбовцями, яким доброчинець передав тепловізор.

Oleksandr Zakharchuk-director of the plant of Berestechko ,Taras Shcherblyuk- chairman of the district council and Viktor Drozda-Gorokhiv military commissar with servicemen to whom the benefactor handed over a thermal imager.

Up to 40 residents of Berestechko and surrounding villages work at the enterprise during seasonal works. Managers value skilled workers, so left the production process continuous by periodically raising people's salary.

Time poses new troubles, problems and tasks for Natalia and Oleksandr Zakharchuk. They were one of the first in the Gorokhiv region to send tasty charitable goods to the defenders of Ukraine in the Donbass. They are still being supplied and recently handed over to the fighters 80th separate airborne assault brigade purchased a modern thermal imager made in the USA.

In 20 years, the revived staff of the plant has become like a big family. Excursions to Pochaiv and Zarvanytsia are organized for employees, and they are financially supported on the occasion of birthdays. Many young people meet in the departments of the company, get married, go on maternity leave . If someone wants to buy a tractor or a car they can borrow money they do not leave sicks, servicemen and their families with problems.And here they generously sacrifice in temples, sponsor school needs and needs of the city…

The married  couple of zakharchuks have many new ideas. Production is developing because new products require modern technologies and equipment. Their credo remains the same - to value people and love their work.

Lesya VLASHINETS.