Together with taster Maria Paska, the founder of the tasting competition, Olena Sinitsyna, visited this year's winner of the Favorite Food & Drinks 2025, Galicia, a natural drinks company. Technologists Natalia Prokopyuk and Kateryna Lopushynska were happy to show the guests the process of producing juices and baby purees.
The range of products on offer includes more than 50 items.
We learnt that the company has its own orchards where it grows fruit and berries. However, due to the high demand for their products, this is not enough and the rest of the necessary items are purchased as well as exotic fruits: oranges, tangerines, bananas, melons, mangoes, etc.
The company uses simple and straightforward technology to produce juices, etc., which ensures the taste, quality and safety of its products:
- the harvested ripe fruit is carefully checked;
- After inspection, they are cleaned and juiced;
- the products are instantly heat-treated;
- The finished juice is poured into a bottle or aseptic bags (tetrapaks, pouches).
It should be noted that water and sugar are not added to juices and purees.
Much attention is paid to regular research of raw materials, own products and competitors' products.
The quality of the products is regularly and thoroughly tested in the laboratory for certain indicators (sugars, acidity, mass fraction of dry matter, etc.).
Evaluating the organoleptic characteristics of its own products, new developments, and evaluating and comparing competitors' products using a range of sensory analysis methods is an integral part of the production process, which allows the company to be among the market leaders.
The warehouse space is large, but the products do not stale. The company actively cooperates with Ukrainian retail chains, HoReCa, fast food outlets and supplies products to more than 10 countries.
"When you know how the products are made and the producers are open, the level of consumer confidence increases significantly," said Olena Sinitsyna during her visit to the company.
We also learned that Natalia was a student of Maria Paska. It's a small world!
"It's nice when graduates hold responsible positions at industry leaders," says Maria Paska.
Here are the results of the blind evaluation by independent experts of the Favorite Food & Drinks 2025 tasting competition:
GOLD
Juice Apple, carrot and banana with pulp, natural homogenised sterilised for baby food for infants (from 12 months to 3 years), Galicia - 23.75 points
Tangerine-apple juice unclarified pasteurised Galicia - 22.14 points
Multivitamin juice with pulp homogenised sterilised Dawn - 23.30 points
Orange-apple juice unclarified pasteurised Galicia - 22.79 points
Puree Apple-strawberry-carrot homogenised sterilised for baby food (from 6 months) - 23.25 points
The best of the best - to the table!
