Why is the demand for birch sap among processors in the Vitebsk region falling, while abroad there is a frenzy for it?

These days, trial tapping of trees is being carried out in the forestry enterprises of the region. However, spring has not yet fully asserted itself in the northern region of the country, and the sap flow is poor – about 3 liters per day from each birch tree. The forestry enterprises intend to start mass harvesting in the last decade of the month, and for now, specialists from Vitebsk GPLKHO are negotiating with processors, studying the demand for the most popular drink in our republic. But here's the snag: as it turns out, this very demand is currently absent.

Is the national drink not in demand among Belarusians?

Currently, there is an order for 260 tons, while last year the region's forestry enterprises sold over 2 thousand tons of useful product. Of this, 500 tons went to the enterprises of "Vitebskpishcheprom" – the canning plant of OJSC "Kuptsov" and the Polotsk branch of the confectionery combine "Vitba". One of the basic enterprises of the republic's canning industry, OJSC "Kuptsov", which supplied juice in tetra-pak and glass containers to the trade networks of Belarus and Turkmenistan, has been declared unprofitable. And the former Polotsk cannery refused to process juice due to physical wear and tear and the decommissioning of production capacities in the canning workshop. Sharkaushchyna Cannery will purchase 60 tons of "birch sap" this year. And this is the maximum volume that the existing capacities allow for processing. It is sold in three-liter glass jars mainly among organizations of the budget sphere – in schools, kindergartens, healthcare institutions. The director of one of the processing enterprises in the Orsha district says that such packaging is not in demand today. The volumes of juice canning will decrease by 5 times here, as its processing is becoming unprofitable. Expensive lids, packaging, and there is no demand. Indeed, in the company's branded retail network, three-liter jars with the healthy drink remain unsold for a long time. Despite the fact that the price today is low – 20 thousand for 3 liters. While in the shelves of large supermarkets in the Vitebsk region, birch sap from

"Savushkin Product" in 16 thousand tetrapaks per liter, Grodno and Bykhov producers in glass bottles with a capacity of 0.25 and 0.75 liters costing 8 thousand and 16 thousand respectively. It turns out that we pay an order of magnitude more for a smaller, but convenient volume. Many retail representatives unanimously state that store-bought "birch sap" is in little demand among consumers. Perhaps it's because people are used to harvesting it themselves, buying it directly on the territory of forestry enterprises?

However, the management of the Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Combine is confident that where they approach the matter seriously, they get a good income from the sale of birch sap. And this year they submitted an application to the Vitebsk State Forestry Association for 200 tons of birch sap. Some volume will be processed immediately, and the rest will be placed in special aseptic bags, in which the sterilized raw material is stored for up to one year. 100 tons of such sap were shipped by the enterprise last year to Brest, and the blended sap, with the addition of orange, lemon, mint, etc., is sold without problems in retail outlets across the country. In particular, in the "Korona" chain of stores, where liter, one-and-a-half-liter, and even three-liter jars with the traditional drink sell out quickly, especially in the summer season.

Currently, the equipment of the new juice production workshop in Tolochin is undergoing testing. Next year, they plan to focus on processing this forest gift and exporting it along with other juices in modern packaging.

Regarding the purchase price of raw birch sap, it is not high – just over a thousand rubles per liter. So, perhaps it is indeed realistic to solve the problem of processing and sales by acquiring special storage containers, properly organizing logistics with the involvement of commercial structures, and supplying the market with a product with minimal costs and maximum benefit for the producer?

15 euros for half a liter of juice

This is how much, according to one of the Russian weekly magazines, some European countries are willing to pay for a half-liter glass bottle of birch sap. Why so expensive? Because "birch sap" is considered a detox product there, capable of cleansing the body of harmful substances. It is sold not in supermarkets, but in health food boutiques and pharmacies.

Attention to birch sap has recently been drawn in the USA and Great Britain. The largest Western mass media have named this drink the hit of 2015. The newspaper “Daily Mail” recommends forgetting about fashionable coconut water, because “this year everyone will go crazy about birch sap, a detoxification superfood that even gets rid of cellulite”. The hype started precisely with the Belarusian product under the brand “Byarozavik”, which is produced at the Minsk non-alcoholic beverage plant. The brand was named one of the largest in the USA in its segment, and on the well-known website “Amazon” the cost was almost 42 dollars for a package of 12 half-liter bottles. However, the Belarusian “Byarozavik” is no longer in stock there; the ecologically clean product marked “Organic” sold out in a matter of days. Last year, the Minsk plant sent 50 tons of birch sap to the shelves of the USA and Austria.

And in the spring of 2013, the Postavy forestry enterprise shipped 65 tons of sap to a Lithuanian firm for a total amount of over 6 thousand dollars. The Lithuanian partners, highly appreciating the quality of the drink, decided to continue mutually beneficial cooperation and in 2014 purchased about 100 tons of Belarusian “birch sap”.

Healing properties proven

Medical research has shown that one glass of birch sap a day helps the body cope with spring vitamin deficiency, fatigue, drowsiness, and even depression. Despite all its benefits, this drink is also dietary – only 24 kcal per 100 g. Its composition includes over 10 organic acids, 6 macro- and microelements, tannins, and minerals. This sap is consumed for coughs, sore throats, and headaches, and it improves metabolism. The only contraindication, according to medics, is the volume of consumption of this tasty and healthy product. A maximum of two glasses a day.

However, for harvesting, processing, and supply, it seems there are no restrictions. Especially since the capabilities of Vitebsk GPLKHO allow for the sale of up to 15 thousand tons of natural wealth per season. So, will our birch trees continue to weep into the ground?..

Olga Lebedeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"