In the capital, there are many places with intriguing histories that few people know about
Kyiv is divided into ten administrative units — districts. Each of them is about the size of a small town. The districts have their own histories, traditions, and landmarks.
Kashtan NEWS shares and reminds us of interesting facts about Kyiv's districts. In particular, it has highlighted areas known as Mysholovka, Zvirynets, Batiyeva Gora, Lysa Gora, Chorna Gora, Cherepanova Gora, Korchuvate, Feofaniya, Hipodrom, Expo Center, Ice Stadium, Pirohiv Museum, Teremky, Holosiivskyi Park, and Central Bus Station.
Today, we will talk about a confectionery factory.
Location
The Kyiv Confectionery Factory is one of the oldest enterprises in Kyiv, which has changed its name three times over its 150-year history. Its production facilities are located at Demiivska Square in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital, near the Central Bus Station and the “Demiivska” metro station.
7 History of Creation
The factory was established in 1874 by merchant Valentin Yefimov in the suburbs of Kyiv, in the village of Demiivka, very close to a sugar refinery. The enterprise was named the “Demiivska Steam Chocolate and Candy Factory.”
8 Initially, 200 people were employed in production. They worked in a small space for 10 hours a day. The production volume of sweets was nearly 200 tons per year and gradually increased.
The factory's product range was quite diverse for that time: candies, marmalade, jams, chocolate, dragees, caramel, gingerbread, cookies, and more.
Not everything was "chocolate"
Over the years, the owner transformed the enterprise into a joint-stock company and decided to expand production. New equipment was purchased, and new production workshops were built. Unfortunately, these measures were ineffective: the factory operated at a loss, resulting in Yefimov being removed from management during an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in 1901.
9 Entry into the Foreign Market
After the reorganization of the management team, the factory was led by Swiss entrepreneur Albert Wyrgler. He managed to achieve profitability for the enterprise, and the factory's fame spread far beyond Kyiv. Moreover, its products began to receive high awards at exhibitions in Europe.
The products of Kyiv's confectioners became so popular that the factory's name was printed on wrappers, posters, and even matchboxes. Sometimes, buyers were encouraged with unique bonuses — in candy boxes, children could find postcards with the notes of popular songs of that time and texts of Ukrainian folk tales.
Rapid Reconstruction
During the Bolshevik occupation of Ukraine, the factory, like other enterprises, faced nationalization. In 1923, it was renamed in honor of Karl Marx to commemorate the 105th anniversary of his birth.
Decades later, the factory's workshops underwent modernization, resulting in production volumes increasing to almost 33 thousand tons per year. The workforce also grew to four thousand people.
During the German invasion, the factory buildings were damaged, but they were quickly rebuilt after the war.
0 In the restored factory's workshops, 24 mechanized lines were installed, and gas was brought in. By 1965, the enterprise produced over 210 types of products. In 1987, production volumes reached 52,000 tons per year. At the same time, 52 percent of the products remained for sale in Kyiv.
Symbol of Kyiv
In 1956, the factory released the “Kyiv Cake,” which became one of the symbols of the capital and a popular souvenir gift to this day. It is said that the “Kyiv Cake” was created by accident due to a mistake by the confectioners. Allegedly, one time the confectioners forgot to place a batch of egg whites, intended for the biscuit, in the refrigerator. To cover up his colleagues' mistake, the head of the biscuit workshop risked using the frozen egg white layers with buttercream, sprinkled with vanilla powder, and decorated the surface with a floral pattern. Thus, the “predecessor” of the famous cake was born.
1 There is another version. During that time, the Soviet Union actively supported and collaborated with India, which paid in goods. Supposedly, in 1956, the USSR received a huge shipment of cashew nuts from this country. Therefore, they needed to be used, and the confectioners were tasked with creating a dessert using these nuts. The Kyiv factory named after Karl Marx handled this task best, developing the recipe and production technology for the “Kyiv Cake.”
2 However, according to the official version, the “Kyiv Cake” was created through the persistent experiments of the confectioners. It was only nearly 17 years after it began production that its recipe and name were patented.
Interestingly, today the “Kyiv Cake” is even baked in a “mini format” — as pastries that can be enjoyed in some cafes in the capital.
By the way, the “Kyiv Cake” was one of the gifts for the 70th birthday of “dear Leonid Ilyich” Brezhnev from the leadership of the USSR. It consisted of 70 layers and weighed over five kilograms. The detailed original recipe for this masterpiece is still kept secret at the Kyiv factory.
The Main Candy of the Capital
Alongside the “Kyiv Cake,” another sweet symbol of the capital is the “Evening Kyiv” candies. Their production was established in 1984. Although the candies were created two years earlier, in honor of Kyiv's 1500th anniversary.
3 The candies contain cocoa, milk, cognac, and hazelnuts. Notably, their recipe has not changed even once to this day. A unique feature of this treat is the whole nut inside the product.
Another Name Change
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the factory began to decline. Therefore, in 1996, the enterprise, along with all property and copyright to the recipes, was put up for sale, and it became part of the “Roshen” corporation. It is worth noting that during the privatization, the well-known company Kraft Foods also showed interest in the factory. However, later its management abandoned the intention to restore the old factory and focused on building new confectionery productions.
Reconstruction
The new owners have repeatedly carried out reconstruction of the factory's production facilities. Today, the product range of the enterprise includes more than 100 different confectionery items. The factory employs over 800 people, and its production capacity can reach up to 100 tons of products daily.
Additionally, one of the workshops has been specially equipped to demonstrate the operation of the chocolate line. Furthermore, part of the production space has been reduced, and a park area for recreation has been arranged where the empty industrial buildings were, designed by a French landscape bureau.
4 As part of the decommunization efforts, the statue of Karl Marx was removed from the factory grounds. However, this did not happen immediately. The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory sent the enterprise's management two reminders regarding the existing state policy of dismantling Soviet symbols from the cultural space of settlements.
How to Get There
If you are interested in the Kyiv Confectionery Factory and wish to visit it to see everything with your own eyes, you can take the metro to the “Demiivska” station, as well as buses on routes No. 20, 22, 28, 119; minibuses No. 1, 12, 22, 205, 211, 239, or use private transport with the help of a navigator.
Yevhen DEM’YANOV