Penza, 7 April 2016. PenzaNews. The Penza authorities have a vested interest in providing support to such enterprises as “Shokolad.ru,” the deputy head of the city administration Andrei Schevchenko told PenzaNews after his visit to the enterprise on Thursday, April 7.

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“This is a Penza enterprise, it pays all taxes. The salaries here, I would say, are quite nice, nobody hides anything. And it is jobs for the city,” he said.

The average salary of a “Shokolad.ru” worker is 23,000 rubles, he stressed.

“If you keep in mind the fact they have 86 employees, it is an interest of the city to see such enterprises develop, especially since their products [cakes and bakery] contains no preserving agents or harmful substances,” the vice mayor stressed.

The “Shokolad.ru” manager Mikhail Ivanov led the exhibition through the enterprise for the city hall delegation. He showed them the production zones, described the list of food materials and technologies they use.

According to Mikhail Ivanov, “Shokolad.ru” has 13 sales stores in the city, while the smaller kiosks under the brand have a different business owner.

According to the enterprise, all products have a maximum shelf lifetime of 72 hours due to the absence of preserving agents.

The company laboratory head Irina Gorbun explained that all non-sold products are discarded after the shelf lifetime runs out.

“We monitor our products. We take wash samples – from the equipment and the hands for bacteria and staphylococcus,” she stressed.

A showcase creation of a gum paste cake attracted the most attention from the delegation.

The city hall officials asked the bakers about the most popular action heroes and protagonists they are asked to put on cakes and the elements they use in decoration, and also pointed out that some of the cakes end up resembling true works of art.

They also rose the question of equipment used in the enterprise: according to the company manager, they mostly use ovens made in Europe.

“There are ovens made in Russia, but they are not that functional. They break down very quickly,” Mikhail Ivanov explained.

The production zone inspection was followed by a spot of tea, during which the guests witnessed the trademark cakes, pies and baked goods produced by the enterprise.

The parties discussed the issues that hinder expansion of the company and the possible ways to mitigate them.

Among other things, the enterprise representatives expressed their intention to create additional sales stores in the city – such as in the far part of the Arbekovo residential area.

Andrei Schevchenko explained them the kiosk installation procedure, and said the enterprise must step forward with the initiative of its own.

The meeting concluded with the announcement of “Shokolad.ru” officially joining the monthly Penza city improvement campaign, which was marked by a dedicated plaque installed by Mikhail Ivanov by the cafe where the meeting took place.