Astarta, one of Ukraine's leading agricultural holdings, has decided to work directly with end consumers. The company will start selling milk and sugar of its own production under its own brand in retail stores, abandoning the intermediaries to whom it has been supplying raw materials for the past 30 years.

This was announced by Astarta's owner and CEO Viktor Ivanchyk in an interview with Forbes magazine, ProAgro Group reports.

"Astarta is the largest milk producer in Ukraine and one of the three leaders in sugar production. Last year, the company achieved record revenues of €619 million, up 21% year-on-year. In 2024, the company plans to enter the new B2C market by launching sugar sales under its own brand.

According to Ivanchyk, the company is not currently planning to enter this market on a massive scale. "This year, we will start with a small volume of thousands of tons. In the following years, this figure will increase to tens of thousands of tons. For comparison, we produce up to 400 thousand tons of sugar annually," he said.

In addition to sugar, Astarta will also introduce its own branded milk to store shelves this year. This will be an important step for the company, which has traditionally been focused on the production of raw materials.

Entering the end-user market marks a new era for Astarta, which is seeking to strengthen its position not only as a producer but also as a direct supplier of products. Ivanchyk emphasizes that this decision will allow the company to better control product quality and provide consumers with natural and fresh products.

This move could change the dynamics of the agricultural market in Ukraine, where large producers are starting to compete directly with retail chains and small producers. "Astarta plans to gradually increase its sales volumes in order to take a significant market share over time.

Thus, Astarta's new strategy is focused on maximizing efficiency and working directly with consumers, which will contribute to the company's further development and strengthen its position in the Ukrainian agricultural market.