Frozen fruits and vegetables are a big part of production in Ukraine, with the largest domestic agribusinesses often having a 50/50 ratio between frozen and fresh. Smilyanska Hlodnya, the biggest producer of frozen fruit and veg in Ukraine, processes 12,000 tons of finished products per year.
"Over the past few years our factory has been providing freezing services for growers in countries like Poland and Belarus, but recently, with production seeing increasing growth and technical advancements, our mission is to focus on our domestic products which we believe to be among the best. There are also a lot of growers who are focused on organic products." shared Ihor Usatyi from Smilyanska Hlodnya.
The top IQF products are wild blueberries and raspberries, followed by strawberries, blackberries, sea buckthorn, cowberry and blackcurrants. The company has been working with McDonalds for years, providing them IQF potatoes and onions. They also create private label berry and vegetable IQF mixes for other companies and retailers.
"Our product is a 100% natural way of preserving products (IQF - individual shock freezing). Only it allows you to preserve the taste and more importantly the structure of the original product - you do not need to wash, clean or cut - making preparation a lot faster than fresh products." said Ihor.
Although 90% of their business in conducted within Europe, Ihor said that the recent FTA with Canada, with no duty on exports, has opened up a lot of opportunities.
