Matvey Zhivotovskiy

Food division exporting director of Raimbek company
Matvey Zhivotovskiy

"RAIMBEK PEOPLE" 

Series of interviews with Raimbek employees dedicated the 25th anniversary of the company.

"PEOPLE WANT TO BUY OUR PRODUCTS IN THE USA AND IN AFRICA"

Matvey Zhivotovskiy is the food division exporting director of Raimbek company. He is one of the company’s old-timers, who participated in building this business in the mid 90-s.

-  Matvey, when did you started working in Raimbek? 

- It was in 1996, I graduated from the university with the specialization of economist. At that time Raimbek company had a joint business with PepsiCo. I took trainings and started working as a territorial representative in Astana, and then covered the whole country. Later I had a break for studies in London, and after graduating I returned to the company. My area of responsibility is export development. The export office is located in Astana, it is convenient to get to our basic markets from the center of the country, for there are direct flights to Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan and Moscow.  

- And what the exporting market of Raimbek company is like now?

- For the time being it includes Russia, from Krasnodar to Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk and to Ural. We also work with the large Russian Dixi network. This network includes three thousand shops in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and central Russia. We also send our products to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia. We have started shipments to China, although we face some problems with legislation and taxation there. Our goods are also sold in Georgia.   

- How do you explain the success of Raimbek goods abroad, where no one knows our company?

- Of course, at the first glance our goods have scarcely any difference with the goods of other manufacturers. Today the market is globalized, all manufacturers have almost the same manufacturing technologies and same initial product suppliers. But on the other hand, turning to automarket for example, neither Mercedes Benz, nor BMW manufacture tires or glass for cars. Their cars are assembled, while the company is engaged in designing, marketing and inspiring soul into their products. The same with us. We sell not just juices or milk, we sell our philosophy. We put our soul, our energy and our emotions in our products. People always feel it, that’s why they buy our products. 

-  In what directions does Raimbek export develop?

- First of all it depends on logistics expenditures. For example, we get numerous requests from the USA, Vietnam, Africs and the Eastern Europe. But unfortunately we shall not take our goods there, for shipment expenditures are too high, and our product becomes noncompetitive. In this respect Siberia, China, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are open for us. They are our closest neighbors and they don’t have as qualitative production as we do.  

- If you compare the company you came to 20 years ago, and the current one, do you see the difference?

- Of course! When I started working, we didn’t even have our own production. There was a joint venture with PepsiCo, and we were selling its products within the territory of Kazakhstan. And now Raimbek is one of the most prominent companies in Kazakhstan. Almost everyone knows about it, knows out products. We are the large manufacturer and large exporter, we bring new technologies and new products to our country and it helps people making right choice. Our company has intensively developed and expanded, and the crew has refreshed. But the team of associates who came many years ago, remains.

- If you imagine that Raimbek company is a human, what temper would it have? 

- Impulsive and breakthrough, a fervent human. He is a leader!

- And what do you think is the company’s formula of success?

- It has never happened in the whole history that each business and each direction of some even the most successful company would always succeed. When we create something we always think that our consumers, people and market would like it. But in fact is often happens otherwise.

The main success factor for Raimbek is the team, of course. Also, it is the ability to think unconventionally and bring something fresh into business. And of course, the ability to take risks. Our whole work is risk, commercial risk, without which success is impossible. 

- What is the most difficult in your work?         

- Major forces and crises happen, when currencies crash, markets disrupt, and you need to find the right recipe, the right way, and explain the new motion and new development vector to your partners, subordinates and colleagues the right way. It is very hard to bring hope in bright new dawn to people. 

- How would you evaluate your personal contribution to company’s success?

- It may seem indecent, but you know, before I took the post there was no such concept as “export” in the company. Now we export up to 10 percent of what we manufacture. Our products are recognized and really present in all neighboring markets. I like talking to people. I like setting ambitious tasks, and, most importantly, achieving them. 

 

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