The founder of the Belaya Dacha holding, Viktor Semyonov, quit the project for the production of French fries, developed in Lipetsk together with the Dutch LambWeston / Meijer. This share was received by the ex-general director of "Belaya Dacha" Vladimir Tsyganov, who ceded to Mr. Semenov his share in the business of producing salads and vegetables. An asset section can make it easier to manage different segments.
The former general director of Belaya Dacha, Vladimir Tsyganov, at the end of December 2020, bought from the company shares in the project for the production of French fries. This follows from the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and materials following the meeting of shareholders of JSC Belaya Dacha. Mr. Tsyganov received 25,1% of OOO Lam Weston Belaya Dacha and 100% of OOO Belaya Dacha Tambov. Previously, these shares were owned by Belaya Dacha itself. Lam Weston Belaya Dacha runs Russia's first French fries plant in Lipetsk. The products are supplied to the largest fast food chains, including McDonald's. The plant's capacity is up to 100 thousand tons of products per year. The cost of the project is € 120 million. The main owner of the company with a 74,9% share is Dutch LambWeston / Meijer.
The founder of Belaya Dacha, Viktor Semyonov, explained to Kommersant that this is a division of assets, during which Vladimir Tsyganov became a co-owner of a French fries plant and left the capital of Belaya Dacha Trading JSC, which owns enterprises for the production of salads and vegetables ... The capacity of salad factories is about 80 tons of finished products per day, according to the data on the company's website. As a result, Mr. Semyonov will increase his stake in Belaya Dacha Trading by 25,01% to 60%. The remaining shares belong to the children of the businessman. Thus, the company will become completely family-owned, the entrepreneur specifies. “We have worked together for over 20 years, and he (Vladimir Tsyganov - Kommersant) wished to move further independently,” Viktor Semenov commented on the reason for the division of assets. He did not disclose the terms of the division of assets. Contact with Mr. Tsyganov failed. Lam Weston Belaya Dacha did not promptly answer Kommersant's questions.
Tamara Reshetnikova, General Director of Growth Technologies, calls the production of ready-made salad mixtures the most profitable food business of Belaya Dacha. According to her, the company became, in fact, the first Russian manufacturer in the category, benefiting from the introduction of a food embargo in 2014, as well as the fall of the ruble. Today, without significant investments, just by entering new regions, Belaya Dacha can increase the supply of salad mixes by another 15-20%, the expert points out.
Kommersant's interlocutor, familiar with the plans of Lam Weston Belaya Dacha, notes that, despite the suspension of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the shareholders are planning to develop this business. According to him, it was decided to double the capacity of the enterprise, and it is planned to supply part of the potatoes to European markets. In the next three to four years, the French fries market in Russia may already reach saturation, and competition will become much tougher, including due to the launch of new productions, the source said. For example, previously Canadian McCain established in the city of Uzlovaya, Tula Region, LLC McCain Foods Rus, which can be created for the project of a plant for the production of French fries (see Kommersant dated June 26, 2020).
Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Union Mikhail Glushkov notes that the separation of assets can facilitate the management and development of various business areas, which both look quite promising. According to him, the potential of the French fries plant really depends, among other things, on supplies to European markets, but only on condition that there is no overproduction of the product in the EU itself. Salad mixes, on the other hand, could also be in demand in foreign markets, but their export is limited by a short shelf life of a few days, Mr. Glushkov adds.