Frozen French fry specialist McCain is ending its commercial presence in Russia, where it set up shop at the turn of the 1990s. Like many Western companies, McCain has decided to leave Russia. This decision was taken after Russia invaded Ukraine, when the Canadian company was building a factory there to meet customer demand.
"For decades, we have been developing a transfer of skills to farms for the production of potatoes adapted to our needs. We were getting to the production stage. Within a few weeks, we decided to suspend construction of the site in Tula, 180 kilometers from Moscow," said Max Koeune, CEO of McCain Foods.
The total investment was estimated at €180 million, of which nearly a third had already been committed. The site was sold on June 30 for a symbolic amount to a Russian investor who could continue the project. "Moscow wants to increase the added value of Russian agricultural production," Koeune said.
