Russia's EkoNiva opens store in China

MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax) - EkoNiva Group, the largest raw milk producer in Russia, has opened its first store in China.

The retail outlet was opened in the city of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, which is home to the group's trader EkoNiva (Xi'an) Dairy Co, the company said in a press release.

The EkoNiva store, the first in Xi'an to sell imported milk, is located in an area with heavy traffic. It offers customers the group's ultra-pasteurized milk and coffee beverages prepared with its dairy products.

EkoNiva opened its representative office in Xi'an in January 2024. It conducts commercial activities and works on increasing the company's brand recognition in China and boosting exports.

EkoNiva exports ultra-pasteurized milk with various fat content and ultra-pasteurized cream to China. In future, the group plans to expand the assortment of exports, foremost with semi-hard and premium hard cheeses.

"Our main objective is to promote the growth of the popularity of milk and dairy products in general, increase the level of trust in Russian products and, of course, develop the EkoNiva brand in China," group president Stefan Durr said in the press release.

EkoNiva dairy products are now sold through retail chains in Northeastern China, in the Shaanxi, Henan, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other regions. They are also sold through online platforms in most regions of China.

EkoNiva Group, which was founded by Durr in 1994, has production facilities and service areas in 27 Russian regions, including the Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Ryazan, Samara, and Tyumen regions, as well as in Altai Territory, Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.