About us

Сompany History

 

Establishment and development of our company could be referred to as an eternal human desire to reach a dream - prosperous and happy life.

 

For the time being our company is the oldest operating plant in the city of Kharkiv.

 

In 1798 a local merchant Mukhin Semen Gavrilovych biult a brewery and mead-making factory on the Kharkiv river side, and that enterprise belonged to eleven other owners and renters afterwards.

 

When the factory was owned by Mukhin father and sons, it produced lager of “English type”, which was considered to be the best beer in Slobozhanshchina region in the first part of XIX century. In 1868, after Ivan Knapp (who was a German) came to the factory, it got the name “Bavaria” and started producing beer of Bavarian type. High quality of that beer was confirmed by trade name, special bottle and label. Knapp was also known because of his entertainment garden, opened in 1869 next to the factory. The garden was of German type, with music and small orchestra, beer and light snacks. The public liked the owner of the factory and his “Bavaria” garden, and it was one of the favourite recreation places in 70-80's of XIX century.

 

In May 1887 the factory was bought by a processing engineer, Shiller Emiliy Oleksandrovych. In one month time he relocated the brewery and mead-making factory to the plot he owned in former suburban settlement Nemyshlia, between Staro-Moskovska and Malinivska streets. On that piece of land there were also located his iron foundry; brewery and mead-making factory which belonged to Olkhovskiy; Kharkiv join stock wool trading company; and between 1806-1860 a brickyard owned by honorary citizen of Kharkiv Kateryna Kuzina was operating. As time passed, many mergers, takeovers and reorganizations happened up to the beginning of XX century. As a result, instead of all the companies mentioned above as operating on this land, only the brewery and mead-making factory left. This enterprise belonged to Olkhovskiy's heirs.

 

Thus, June 16, 1887 has become the day of union of two historical branches of our plant history. Therefore, our factory has been writing its history for four centuries already, without any interruptions for revolutions, wars and economic recessions, leaving territorial, tangible and documentary trails.

 

Many well-known people in Empire used to head the plant: active philanthropists, honorary citizens, merchant of the top guild Kozma Kuzin and his wife Kateryna Kuzina, first woman-entrepreneur in the city; a nobleman and Decembrist, Turkish war hero and a masonic lodge member Eudokim Lachinov; talented engineers Mykola Vestberg and Olexander Pryanyshnykov.

 

Political storms had also disturbed the plant: for instance, in year 1878 a famous revolutionary, women rights activist Elyzaveta Kovalska created the first secret group in Kharkiv, named “Zemlia i Volia” (Land and Will), where she had trained Petro Antonov, one of the most terrifying gunmen who executed terrorist acts and worked at the plant as a metalworker under a nickname “Golden hands” and revolutionary nickname “Kirill”.

 

Market competition forced the enterprises to create goods of high quality, and the specialists of production departments had always been among the best professionals. Thus, in 1867 a threshing machine, designed by Mykola Vestberg, gained Gold Medal of World's fair in Paris, and beer produced by Oleksiy Olkhovskiy was exhibited many times at All-Russian and international fairs, where it was awarded with different honors for high quality.

 

Revolutions and wars led to nationalization of the factory belonging to Olkhovskiy's heirs by Soviet state in 1920. In 1926-1927 factory named at that time “Gospivzavod” was re-organized into “Spiritis and Vinegar Plant of Gospivtrest “Ukrainian New Bavaria”. Later on in “old” production department in 1944 the installation of equipment was launched, so that to produce bakery compressed yeast.

 

However, post-war devastation was not favorable for fast launch of new production capacities of the factory, and only in February 1952 the plant started producing bakery yeast with designed capacity of 3 tones per day.

 

True revival of the company started in 2002 due to fundamental reconstruction process and equipment of the plant with modern European production facilities. But the most powerful incentive to renaissance was given by new highly educated, experienced, ambitious and responsible professionals, who came to the factory with a precise idea how to create one of the best products in Ukraine and Europe.

 

Persistent and hard work within the next years resulted in not only complete renewal of production facilities, processing schemes and basic principles of yeast manufacturing, but the most important – it had brought fundamental changes in approach to work of the regular team members, who started with uncoordinated efforts and came to coherent constructive endeavor.

 

Within rather short period of time in terms of factory development we have not only multiplied production capacities several times, made the most out of serious investments, enlarged and improved product range, expanded and extended sales network, but also increased seven times labour efficiency of each employee (compared to 2002) by optimal use of manufacturing resources and workforce.

 

In 2006 we entered international market and keep gaining new positions.

 

On March 19, 2013, our company was reorganized into Limited Liability Company "BALEX Company", which is full legal successor of JSC Kharkiv Yeast Plant.

 

Today we are a modern company, keeping abreast with the times, opened for new ideas and carefully saving family traditions in bakery.