Vitebsk Winery plans to increase its tea production share to 10% by the end of the year

September 2, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. By the end of the year, Vitebsk Winery OJSC plans to increase the share of tea production to 10% of the total production volume, the enterprise director Vyacheslav Sapronov told a BELTA correspondent. Currently, the main production volume is occupied by fruit and grape wines, while tea and tea drinks account for only about 6%. However, alcoholic beverages will have to make way in the near future, as the enterprise associates its future with the development of the tea segment, the head emphasized. Thus, at the end of September - the beginning of October, the plant plans to release the first batch of green tea in the amount of 3 tons for sale. Raw materials from Sri Lanka have already been purchased. While awaiting its delivery, the enterprise's specialists are developing packaging design and preparing for certification. In addition, the production of black leaf tea and tea with the addition of oregano, St. John's wort, mint, blackcurrant, and dried apples is increasing monthly. The products have been well-received by consumers and are already in high demand not only in retail outlets but also in educational and healthcare institutions. Taking into account the constantly growing demand, the plant plans to increase the share of these products to 10% by the end of December, and to 25% in the coming years. In January-August, the enterprise produced products worth Br10.8 billion, which is 12.6% higher than the same period last year, including tea and tea drinks - Br414 million (an increase of almost 2.5 times, respectively). The overall profitability of sales for January-July was 9.4%, including 6% for tea production. Labor productivity over seven months increased by 5.3%, and the energy saving indicator reached minus 10%. -0-