History of “Slavyanka” formation and development is considered as the crowing glory for its staff.
In 1571 according to Ivan’s IV Terrible decree the confluence point of the river Ublya into the river Oskol there was founded Ust-Ublinsky burg for Rissian sothern borders warding from the Tatars invasion. It lingered on for 15 years more and was later abolished . Still, noblemen were sent to the borders to maintain a patrol up to 1593. In 1593 town named Oskol was founded as an outpost on the southern borders of the Russian tsardom. The town was named after the river name on which banks it was situated. General public made military men and farmers. In 1599 Kazatskaya Sloboda was established.
Sweets production in Stary Oskol began from lampad oil manufacturing and, more precisely from the equipment, purchased for its production. Djaykovy installed a steam turbine with 650 horse powers of capacity, which was bought in Belgium. Steam for the turbine rotation was produced by a huge boiler.
Simultaneously boiler steam was decided to use for pocket-shaped buns and soft ring-shaped rolls. It was a starting point for sweets production. A little bit later Djyakovy commenced a big bee yard keeping and received honey. That time there in the forests were a lot of hazelnuts, which were crushed and mixed with honey following a folk recipe.
In the 19th century beginning the Djyakovy confectionery workshop began to expand the production and assortment. It was backed glazed gingerbreads of oat and wheat flour, developed sweets “Crayfish tails”, toffee, jam and fruit jelly production.
In spring, 1929, when the factory was nationalized, it stopped production and the workers became redundant. Future of the equipment, installed at the factory, was also obscure.
In a year, in spring, regional authorities finally remembered of an empty factory, on which there still were a boiler and a steam turbine. People learnt about the decision to restore the factory and organized a rally on the factory territory.
Bench-work craftsmen undertook the factory restoration. In the end of 1931 all the warehouses, situated on the factory territory, were transferred to it. And on the 7th of November, 1932 factory workers triumphed reconstruction termination. This date is considered to be a benchmark in the history of Starooskolskaya Confectionery Factory “Slavyanka”.
Within the period till 1941 the factory mainly had been producing gingerbreads of different types, hard candies and halvah. During the Great Patriotic War confectionery production suffered great damage. Once the Germans left the town, ex-employees, mainly women, gathered at the factory and started reconstruction of the destroyed equipment. Famished people did not expect to be invited and the confectionery factory became one of the first enterprises in the town, which chimneys started smoking – it was begun bread baking, considered as the most precious and tasty delicacy in those days.
There is a also purely military page in the factory history, which inscribed struggle of the great battle, taken place in the Central Black Soil Region during years 1942-1943. There on the territory of the confectionery factory, was located a hospital after Stary Oskol disengagement from the fascist invaders.
The front line was shifted farther and farther on the West from Belgorod Region, meantime the confectionery factory was recovered and recreated. There they baked and sliced bread, then made dried crusts for the front. In the end of 1944 hard candy workshop was started, gingerbreads production was developed, which became the main line in the confectionery production.
In the 50’s there took place major technical equipping of the workshops: a mechanical line for wrapped toffee “Golden key” production, a fondant plant, a rotary machine for sugar biscuits making, a dough-mixing machine, a dragee pan, wrapping machines for sweets were installed. The mentioned equipment putting into operation made it possible to increase the confectionery factory productivity in tens of times.
In the 60’s the factory had to stop pastries production. A robust production process had to be sustained for the reason of decrease in gingerbreads and biscuits demand. Due to this fact the confectioneries range significantly diminished. The factory staff was looking for ways of the product expansion, and was putting new items types in production. Taking into consideration strict regulation of product novelties at the economic system conditions, necessity of the new products production agreeing with superior authorities, the factory management performed an economical feat by distributing such a big number of new products.
Beginning from 1970 and until to the modern factory reconstruction, the products range has increased up to 150 items. Production of the confectioneries, packed in decorative boxes, has been significantly speeded.
In 1981 the issue of the factory restoration was decided and funds were directly allocated for bulks building and modern equipment purchasing.
Within the period of next ten years taking into account land property expanding the following real estate units and utility lines were erected: a new industrial amenity building, a water tower, utility networks, roads, gas pipelines, artesian wells number increased till 5 pcs., a syrup tank was made. Transforming sub-stations were commissioned.
The first product of the renewed factory became toffee “Golden key”, on the stores’ shelves there appeared hard candy with filling, sweets “Pigeon’s milk”, moulded sweets.
After reconstruction accomplishment by 1990 the confectionery factory “Slavyanka” capacity made up about 15 000 tons per year.
But “Slavyanka” close-knit team did not rest on its laurels. It was decided to develop production process and to equip it with the most modern and high-technology European machinery.
Buildings and workshops restoration, continuous technical modernization and purchasing of new automatic lines for confectioneries production make it possible for confectionery factory “Slavyanka” pass to the new millennium proudly.
One may think that this is just a plain unemotional narration, but there may be felt a progress spirit, positive changes, production process innovations appearance, products assortment increasing, personnel’s conveniences improvement. Improvement process is continuous, and such a team, got something from merchants’ Djyakovy industriousness, armed with modern experience and technologies, will definitely fulfill all the purposes with excellent results.