Putin’s friend invests in apples production

Alma Production Company, established by a French investor Jean-Claude Menne in 2007 in Krasnodar region, focuses on apple production. In 2014, Volga Group Company, belonging to Gennadiy Timchenko, who has been going in for judo together with Putin for more than 20 year, bought 40% of its shares. “We aim to create a national brand of high-quality standard for domestic consumers,” stated Timchenko.

Partnership will be mutually beneficial, believe the experts. French investors have built high technologies production and have fostered distribution through wholesalers and retailers, and thanks to Russian investor, the company will expand.

Since 2014, horticultural business in Russia attracts numerous businesspersons, but cost-effective projects are very expensive, as they include not only high quality saplings, but also drip irrigation system, trellises, cold store construction, etc.

Total area of Alma Production orchard is 316 ha; last year’s harvest amounted to 15,500 tons. There are both international and Russian varieties (Gala, Granny. Semerenko, etc.). However, up to 90% of saplings were imported from Italy. Now the company has planted own nursery.

Thanks to the installation of a modern cold store with controlled atmosphere, apples can be stored for the whole year. Calibration line is fully automatic and unique in Russia.

“Alma Production has all the potential to become a regional leader of apple production,” declared Veniamin Kondratiev, the head of Krasnodar region, during his visit to the premises.