Confectioneries (entry)

Categories / Economy/Industry
CONFECTIONERIES. Mass production of confections began in St. Petersburg in the middle of the 19th century. In 1914 there were 20 confectioneries producing both traditional Russian delicacies (spice-cakes, pastila, and fruit candies) and new delicacies for Russia - chocolate, chocolate candies, caramel, sugar candies, drops, iris, sponge-cakes, waffles, and Eastern confections. By 1914, some 25% of confections produced in Russia were made in St. Petersburg; a part of them was delivered to other cities of the country and abroad. All the confectioneries were nationalized by 1918; soon their work was stopped and was resumed only at the beginning of the 1920s with the transition to the New Economic Policy. Small private and co-operative confectioneries were liquidated by the end of the 1920s, larger ones were nationalized and started to produce confections according to uniform recipes and technology. Out of 6 confectioneries which worked in Leningrad before 1941, most varieties were produced by Confectionery № 1 (former Confectionery of Z. Borman, from 1919 - Samoylova Confectionery), which made candies, drops, halvah, sponge cakes, and pastries. Other confectioneries had narrower specialization: Confectionery № 2 (former Bliken and Robinson) made cakes and pastries; Confectionery № 3 (former Confectionery of Landrin, in 1936-58, Mikoyan Confectionery) produced mainly sugar powdered caramel. The new confectionery was launched in Leningrad in 1936 (since 1939 it was known as Krupskaya Confectionery). Old confectioneries were reconstructed in the 1930s; modern equipment was installed, reducing manual labour and increasing the output. At the end of the 1930s, Leningrad confectioneries produced some 180 types of confections, some products were sent to other regions. During the siege of 1941-1944 most confectioneries produced food concentrates, albuminous yeast, vegetable jam, and medications. In the 1950s, there were 4 confectioneries in Leningrad, and the output was increased following the technical re-equipment of the enterprises. The Leningrad Confectionary Industry Association was created in 1965, and the First Leningrad Confectionery (former Mikoyan Confectionery) became its main production unit. In the 1990s; new equipment was installed in St. Petersburg confectioneries and a wider variety of products appeared, numbering hundreds of various types of confections, allowing Russian products to compete successfully with imported products. The three leading enterprises include Krupskaya Confectionery (maker of chocolate, chocolate sweets, and hard candy), Samoylova Confectionery (maker of biscuit waffles and sweet jelly products) and Azart confectionery (former First Leningrad Confectionery; maker of caramel).

References: Смольникова А. Ф. Развитие кондитерской промышленности Ленинграда // Пищевая промышленность: Сб. ст., посвящ. 250-летию Ленинграда. Л., 1957. С. 169-186.

T. V. Kovaleva, V. S. Solomko. Borman Georgy Grigorievich
Krupskaya Nadezhda Konstantinovna
Landrin Georg Matveevich
Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich
Samoylova Konkordia Nikolaevna
Смольникова А. Ф. Развитие кондитерской промышленности Ленинграда // Пищевая промышленность: Сб. ст., посвящ. 250-летию Ленинграда. Л., 1957 Siege of 1941-44