The Situation with the Hlukhiv Bread Factory: Truly, Not by Bread Alone

Indeed, people in the Sumy region cannot live by bread alone. For complete happiness, they need rich pastries, golden like ears of grain, loaves, fluffy bagels, cream cakes, and airy pastries. But trouble struck in the spring, when the management of one of Hlukhiv’s city-forming enterprises—the local bread factory—made the difficult decision to cease operations. Residents of Hlukhiv and other districts of the region were left without their favorite bakery products from childhood, the baking secrets of which were known only to the factory’s team. About 100 employees were laid off and forced to look for new jobs. And yet, entire family dynasties worked at the Hlukhiv bread factory, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year.

On the reasons for the shutdown

The principal shareholder of the Hlukhiv and Okhtyrka bread factories, Serhii Bessarab, laments that representatives of the city authorities called the enterprise only a month later to ask about the reasons behind this sad event. “The shutdown occurred not least due to officials’ unwillingness to support the local producer. For two years, we asked to be granted 5–6 retail outlets to sell the bread factory’s products. We even ordered kiosks, investing a substantial amount of money in this initiative, but they remained unused. Moreover, even after production stopped, an agreement was reached to allocate ‘points’ for us, but once again the matter went no further than talks,” explains Serhii Bessarab.

In addition, the decision to suspend operations was largely influenced by crisis-related economic factors—bread production required high energy costs, and gas prices in the spring were 11.5 thousand UAH per thousand cubic meters. Moreover, competition for the Hlukhiv bread factory is quite intense—today there are ten bread producers in Hlukhiv.

However, Serhii Bessarab remains optimistic. As a result of local elections, a new generation of politicians came to power in Hlukhiv, who understand the importance of preserving and developing local enterprises. The new mayor, Mykhailo Tereshchenko, promised to assist in resuming the bread factory’s operations. The city head has many plans and ready-made solutions to transform Hlukhiv into an infrastructure-developed region, a distinguishing feature of which will be the widespread use of energy-efficient technologies. According to Serhii Bessarab, the main issue to be discussed with the new mayor is the allocation of retail spaces for selling bakery products. “If the bread factory gets these spaces, Hlukhiv residents will eat the freshest, cheapest, and best bread. But to rehire so many people, give them hope for the future, and then think about how to sell the finished products—I have no moral right to do that. We need guarantees of a stable future,” emphasizes Serhii Bessarab.

The principal shareholder of the bread factory is confident that if an agreement is reached, the plant will most likely be operating again in December.

At the same time, the bread factory’s management has plans for development and modernization of production. New production equipment—pellet-fired ovens that meet the most modern energy-saving standards—will soon be delivered to Hlukhiv.

Currently, so that Hlukhiv residents do not miss the products of the Hlukhiv bread factory too much, confectionery and bread baked by the Okhtyrka bread factory are brought to the city. Nevertheless, people are still convinced that the products of the Hlukhiv enterprise are tastier. And no wonder—over half a century, entire generations have grown accustomed to fresh locally produced bakery goods. Especially since the bread is baked by locals who know a thousand and one secrets of making the most delicious products. “We have masters who have been working at the enterprise for more than thirty years. High-quality products, well-established production technology, and, of course, the lovingly performed work of the technologist, dough mixer, and baker—this is the key to obtaining high-quality bread at the end,” explains Serhii Bessarab.

Let us hope that as a result of cooperation between the city authorities and the local producer, the New Year’s table of Hlukhiv residents will feature their favorite bread and delicious baked goods from the Hlukhiv bread factory. And the enterprise’s employees will be able to return to their jobs.

Keeping pace with the times

Fortunately, things are going well at the Okhtyrka bread factory, and it does not face the fate of its Hlukhiv “colleague.” Management has already invested about €300,000 in modernizing production, which will allow the enterprise’s technical equipment to be renewed by 80%. By the way, there is great news for sweet tooths—the Okhtyrka bread factory plans to upgrade its confectionery workshop, which means even more varieties of delicious baked goods will appear on sale.

“Most of our customers acknowledge that the products of the Okhtyrka factory are of the highest quality, and the enterprise can be proud of its growth in sales volumes,” says Serhii Bessarab. Bread here is baked using traditional, time-tested technologies, adhering to old sourdough recipes that are specially cultivated in-house. “The main taster is our consumer, and largely thanks to their wishes we have achieved the assortment and popularity of products that we have today. In Sumy alone, there are 15 retail outlets selling Okhtyrka bread,” says Serhii Bessarab. “Our products can be purchased in large retail chains—in the Silpo and ATB supermarkets.”

At the Okhtyrka bread factory, they understand how important it is for quality to always remain on par with quantity. Here, the entire technological process fully complies with technical documentation, and raw materials, in addition to existing hygienic conclusions and certificates, are also analyzed in the enterprise’s laboratory.

The main pride of Okhtyrka bakers is the naturalness of their products. “All bakery products are made without improvers that extend shelf life. Remember that bread which does not go stale and does not grow mold necessarily contains special chemical additives. Those who care about their health should think about this,” warns Serhii Bessarab.

R