A unified section of Belarusian products has opened in Moscow

The project was launched in the flagship hypermarket of the Auchan chain, located in the Aviapark shopping and entertainment center. One of the first to visit the Belarusian Village was the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia, Alexander Rogozhnik. He noted that products from Belarus have always occupied a special place among Russians. "Because this is the quality that we have preserved," the Ambassador said.

Belarusian exports to Russia are growing year after year. "We finished the first half of the year with a growth rate of over 101%. Services have grown very well – transport, IT, construction. Six months ago we were thinking about how to implement this project. And now you see and know where in Moscow you can buy real, high-quality Belarusian products with love from Belarus," added Alexander Rogozhnik.

An agreement on closer cooperation with Belarusian manufacturers was reached at a meeting with the Ambassador at the end of January this year, said Ivan Martinovich, CEO of Auchan Retail Russia. According to him, there were no difficulties in implementing the project. Already in July, a large-scale promotional campaign, Operation Belarusian Goods, began, which lasted for a month. Sales of Belarusian products doubled, and for some items, they increased several times.

Belarusian producers plan to get closer to the Russian consumer and receive feedback. This was stated by the general director of the trading house "Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1" Irina Novikova. She noted that although the project was implemented in partnership with Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1, the gastronomic space contains products not only from this enterprise, but also from other Belarusian producers.

"We have quite a lot of experience in promoting dairy products, and having contracts with all Russian federal networks, we came to the conclusion that the Russian consumer cannot always find us on the shelf. Since the shelves are large, wide, and there are a lot of Russian manufacturers of good products, we still need to be found and noticed. Therefore, such an idea arose to gather Belarusian manufacturers under one wing, under one roof, who can present their product in a wide range," said Irina Novikova. She noted: one of the tasks is to understand what the Russian consumer wants, what products he chooses, what is important to him. "Belorusskaya Derevnya" is a startup and a movement from the Russian consumer to the Belarusian manufacturer. Now Muscovites and guests of the capital can try and buy delicious Belarusian meat and dairy products, confectionery and sweets. In the future, there are plans to expand the range and add textiles and porcelain.

Buyer Elena Romancheva from Moscow is well acquainted with Belarusian products, especially likes dry-cured sausages and cheeses. At the same time, it is difficult to buy everything in one place at once, this can mainly be done at markets. But in a large store you have to look for everything.

"It's just a great idea to do everything in one place: you go in, put everything in your bag – dairy, sausage, and sweets, and the table is set at home," Elena shared with us, smiling.

There are tastings for visitors.

"The children tried the cooked sausage, they liked it, I bought some," Olesya, a mother of three, shared with us. "We have friends from Belarus, they now live in Moscow, when they go home, we always order Belarusian sausage, cheese, stewed meat, sweets for them. Now we won't have to wait for them to go. The prices are also attractive for now."