Owner of leading enterprise producing ice cream in Ukraine: Petro Rud about the benefits of ice cream, longing for ice cream and 14-ton cone

Marina Smahina

Senior Editor of "Rubryka", writer

On the first day of spring, a time ideal for getting inspired again and aiming for significant accomplishments, Rubryka begins a series of articles about people whose experience motivates us to achieve more. "People of Action" is about representatives of various professions and their stories, in which they'll share the secrets of their crafts with Rubryka readers. First, we decided to visit Zhytomyr and meet the major producer of ice cream in Ukraine, Peter Rud, the founder of the "Rud" company. His factory in Zhytomyr produces more than 150 types of ice cream, and not only for Ukraine; ice cream is exported to almost 30 countries. If you imagine the work of the head of the ice cream company as a constant holiday — ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — then you're wrong because the entire day will be loaded with business and meetings.

For Petro Rud, it has always been the case; having headed the Zhytomyr Dairy Plant after graduating from the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy, the entrepreneur received it without his own raw material base and regular suppliers. And even when the issue of suppliers was resolved, another problem arose: whole milk in Ukraine had always been considered a social product, the trade margin of which couldn't exceed 10%. This margin didn't recoup the cost of collecting and storing milk. It prompted the company to look for a more marginal product. Therefore, the entrepreneur's attention was drawn to the ice cream market, which was only gaining momentum in Ukraine. However, we all come from childhood, and so does our love of ice cream. Petro Rud is no exception.