Own smoked products "Velmart won gold at the internationalin the professional tasting competition Favorite Food & Drinks. As part of the competition, experts in the food production, food retail and restaurant business evaluated the participants' products using a blind method.
Participation in independent tasting competitions is the key to development
Recently, VELMART's own smoked products from the Retail Group received gold awards for high quality in the international professional tasting competition Favorite Food&Drinks 2024! As part of the competition, experts in the field of food production, food retail and restaurant business evaluated the participants' products using a blind method. The company's products were awarded in the Fish, Fish Delicacies, Seafood, Rolls and Meat, Meat Delicacies, Sausages categories.
"Following the mission, Favorite Food & Drinks contributes to improving the culture of conscious food consumption to improve the quality of life and healthy lifestyle, as well as promoting the brand of Ukraine in the global food markets as a country supplying delicious, innovative, new, traditional and high-quality food products." - says Elena Sinitsina, Founder and Director of the Favorite Food & Drinks tasting competition.
As a result, the gold medals Favorite Food & Drinks for high quality:
- Mackerel layer with hot smoked spices
- Shrimps "Royal" hot smoked in sauce
- Salted mussels in sauce
- Premium quality semi-smoked Balykova sausage
- Smoked boiled chicken thigh
- Baked Starosloviansky roll of the highest quality
Secrets of our own production.
Meat processing plant
Velmart's meat department offers about two hundred different types of meat: poultry, beef, veal, lamb, pork, as well as offal and semi-finished products. Delicious foie gras and angus, minced meat and cutlets, kebabs and sausages for frying - all of this can be found on the shelves and display cases at Velmart. The majority of all raw meat products are produced directly on the territory of the hypermarkets from high-quality, carefully selected raw materials, so when you buy meat in Velmart, you can always be sure of the freshness of the product.
Fish shop
"Velmart offers fish from any part of the world. Fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, dried, smoked - for every taste and budget. Caviar, seafood, canned food and preserves. More than 1,000 items in total, covering both economy class products and elite delicacies. Convenient packaging, self-service displays, aquariums with live fish - this creates a whole water world in every Velmart supermarket.
"We are always excited to submit samples to the competition, because each award is not only recognition, but also confirmation of our hard work. Our products are prepared with love and attention to detail. We use only fresh ingredients and special cooking methods for unique taste and quality." - commented. Tatiana Marynych, Chief Technologist of Meat Products Production at Velmart, at the award ceremony.
The range of smoked products produced by the Retail Group includes beef, chicken, duck, pork, quail, sausages and other meat products.
"Try our Kabanosi - an exquisite combination of taste and natural ingredients: chicken, beef and pork with spices. All products are made from chilled meat and go through a chain of technological processes to produce an appetising product with a golden crust. Improving production technology has become a daily process for us. We are working to ensure that you can taste our high-quality and delicious products as soon as possible!" commented Tatiana Marynych, Chief Technologist of Meat Products Production at Velmart as part of the award ceremony.
The importance of participating in an independent tasting was also emphasised by Vyacheslav Boychenko is the head of Velmart's fish production department: "The gold award at the competition is a real achievement for us, which demonstrates the high level of quality of our products. It confirms that our efforts were not in vain and we are on the right track. It encourages us to move forward, introduce new technologies and innovations to meet the needs of our customers even better. The awards inspire our team to continue to improve and strive for new heights in product quality."
Tasting contests are a powerful tool for retailers' development.
"The gold medals we won at the international competition Favorite Food&Drinks confirm that participation in tasting competitions is not only an opportunity to demonstrate product quality, but also an important step in business development." - says the "Juicy Meat Guru", as experts call it Vladimir Baghdasaryan, professional taster and head of meat production at Velmart.
Mr Volodymyr has been involved in meat for over 15 years and blindly assesses the organoleptic characteristics of products, namely meat, meat products, delicacies, marinades and spices. According to Volodymyr, "Highly professional and impartial tasters at this competition blindly evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of the declared tasting samples provided by industrial and craft producers, farms, and importers."
With Volodymyr's help, we identified several reasons why retailers should participate in independent tasting competitions, using the example of the Velmart chain:
- Improving product quality: independent competitions allow us to get an objective assessment of products from experts, which helps us to improve our product range.
- Competitive advantage: Winning international competitions underlines the quality of products and distinguishes the retailer from its competitors.
- Attracting consumer attention: Awards increase brand awareness and attract new customers who trust award-winning products.
- Inspiration for the team: Participation in competitions builds team spirit, as joint achievements inspire employees to new achievements.
"The deep knowledge and creativity of producers is the driving force behind the creation of innovative, new and improved traditional food products, and participation in blind tastings provides an objective picture for moving forward." Vladimir Baghdasaryan, Head of Meat Production at Velmart.
Expertise opens up opportunities for manufacturers
In 2024, the experts of the international tasting competition were joined by Kateryna Zatornitska, CEO of ICS Vistarcom SRL, which unites Velmart and Green Hills Market chains in Moldova. Her participation was an important event for the competition, as Kateryna's experience in the food and retail sector is invaluable.
"I am delighted to join the panel of experts. I would especially like to note the professional organisation and compliance with the conditions for submitting samples for tasting," said Katerina. She noted that the evaluation process was quite challenging. Within 5 hours, the experts had to taste 64 samples of FOOD and NON FOOD products, which required maximum concentration and the ability to analyse various taste nuances.
"The receptors were in a constant process of perception," Kateryna added, pointing out how important the role of professionalism is in such competitions. Participation in tastings requires not only sensitivity to taste, but also in-depth knowledge of the product to provide an objective assessment. Kateryna believes that such competitions help to raise quality standards in the food industry and provide producers with valuable feedback. Her experience and expertise were a valuable contribution to the evaluation process, emphasising the importance of an independent and professional approach to tasting.
The expertise demonstrated at the competition underlines the importance of independent product evaluation, which provides manufacturers with valuable feedback. This encourages them to further improve their production technologies and processes. Participation in retailer competitions is a way to reach new heights in quality and innovation.
The success of Retail Group is a reflection of the team's well-coordinated work and commitment to continuous improvement. This is an important step not only for the company, but also for the entire market, as raising quality standards has a positive impact on consumers and contributes to the development of the food industry as a whole. In the future, such initiatives will help to consolidate the status of Ukrainian retailers as producers of high-quality products at the international level.
Reference: Retail Group Holding manages Velmart, Velyka Kyshenya, VK Express and VK Select retail chains in Ukraine, as well as Green Hills Market and Velmart supermarket chains in Moldova. The company also owns seven Equator shopping and entertainment centres, the Turbina entertainment centre and three Multipark children's entertainment centres. The holding works for the benefit of Ukrainians, making the inaccessible affordable, supporting the economy, providing jobs for a team of more than 5,600 people and being one of the largest taxpaying companies among Ukrainian retailers.