The history of the Yeast Plant began in the XIX century. In 1891, brothers Yankel and Zelman Rakovshchik founded a little enterprise producing yeast and spirits on the outskirts of Minsk. The enterprise didn’t show any differences from the factories and workshops of other works of tsarist Russia with their cruel exploitation. Two years later, in June, 1983, following the project approved by the construction department of the Minsk provincial government, brothers Rakovshchik built a stone steam yeast distillery in the first part of Minsk in Lyakhovka. It is when the history of the Minsk Yeast Plant began.
Photo: Yankel Rakovshchik, founder of the Yeast Distillery. 1891
The distillery was a semi-handicraft enterprise the main products of that were spirits made of seed; the secondary raw materials were used to produce baker’s yeast. The yeast was grown in oak tubs and separated and filtered through press filters. The yeast briquettes were formed and packed manually.
According to the data of 1903, there were 22 employees at the distillery. In 1911, the monthly production of yeast was 120 tons, and this time 55 people were registered working. As time passed, the production developed, improved and increased in capacity. In 1912, a confectionary syrup workshop opened.
Photo: the first logo of the yeast plant
The contemporary history of the distillery started after the victory of the October Revolution. After the Civil War the distillery was reconstructed and included in the fifth group food industry Administration where also belonged two yeast plants, one brewery and two mills. In spite of the hard times, the distillery coped with the tasks successfully and produced 144 mashes 30 poods yeast each, i.e. 69.12 tons yeast and 134,640 decalitres spirits per annum. Year by year, the distillery expanded, and its machine room was reequipped. New Alfa Laval separators, pumps and other equipment emerged. By 1933, there were 166 employees at the distillery; the gross output reached 4,091 thousand rubles; the capital assets totaled 1,577 thousand rubles. Per annum, the distillery produced 2,600 tons yeast and 3,095 tons syrup.
Photo: the Minsk steam yeast distillery. 1893
By Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the BSSR No. 1255-р dated October 20, 1959, the yeast and syrup plant “Krasnaya Zarya” was reorganized into the Minsk Yeast and Wine Plant. By 1965, the annual output of yeast reached about 8 thousand tons. By Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the BSSR No. 947-р dated July 22, 1964, from the Minsk Yeast and Wine Plant the Minsk Yeast and Syrup Plant was separated.
In 1970, the syrup workshop was liquidated, and the plant started to specialize only in the production of yeast. From 1964 to 1975, two yeast plants of the republic merged into one enterprise: the Minsk Yeast Plant with its branch in Oshmyany of the Grodno region, the Oshmyany Yeast Works founded in 1881 by merchant Strugach.
Photo: Nizhne-Lyakhovskaya street (now Oktyabrskaya street)
By Order of the Ministry of Food Industry of the BSSR No. 86 dated April 6, 1976, the Minsk Yeast and Syrup Plant was reorganized into the Minsk Yeast Plant. At the same time re-equipment of the production and reconstruction of the industrial premises was carried out: the wooden tubs were removed and the iron yeast propagators were replaced for stainless steel ones.
By 1985, the plant produced approximately 20 thousand tons yeast per annum, and by 1990 it produced about 22 thousand tons. By Order of the Ministry of State Property of the Republic of Belarus No. 383 dated December 30, 1995, the Minsk Yeast Plant was reorganized into Yeast Plant Open Joint Stock Company and registered by decision of the Minsk City Executive Committee No. 677 dated September 2, 1996 (reregistered by decision No. 913 dated August 10, 2000).
Photo: the plant yeast workshop today
Relying on the vast experience and preserving good traditions, the team of the plant continuously increases the level of technical infrastructure of the main production equipment, work automation and mechanization and improves the mechanism of technological processes. New equipment is implemented at the enterprise, certain production areas are reconstructed, and the vehicle fleet is renewed.