Enhancing baby food production through online advice

Sunny Food is a company in Armenia, producing canned fruits and vegetables, which has started an ambitious project to establish a baby food industry. They collaborated with a PUM expert who guided them online through the complexities of baby food processing. This led to significant advancements, including the establishment of a production line, the development of high-quality recipes, and adherence to European standards. Successfully managed through online sessions and shared videos, this project showcases the potential of remote collaboration.

The Armenian company Sunny Food produces canned fruits and vegetables, using traditional and proven recipes to make premium quality products. Under the leadership of Business Development Director Irina Pahlevanyan, Sunny Food has started an ambitious project to establish a baby food industry. Seeking fresh perspectives and in-depth knowledge, they approached PUM to collaborate on various aspects of baby food processing, including plant flow diagrams, recipes, equipment, suppliers, and making the right choices.

Remote collaboration

Expert Henk Afman was matched with the client and provided advice through remote Zoom sessions. He shared his expertise from different perspectives: planning, implementation, and compliance. This led to a feasibility analysis, the purchase of proper equipment, the development of unique and high-quality recipes, the launch and operation of a new product line, and adherence to European standards for baby food production. Throughout the process, Irina and her colleagues created several videos to showcase their progress to Henk and receive his feedback.

Achievements

Visiting Sunny Food would have added no value for this project, as Henk and the client are managing everything successfully online. However, Henk requested country coordinator Ellen Eggenhuizen to contact the client during her stay in Armenia. They were able to meet in the capital and Ellen was impressed by Irina and her colleague’s enthusiasm. Ellen remarked: “We had a delicious and healthy lunch at the Garun restaurant, where Irina spoke about the pleasant collaboration with Henk. She showed me videos they had made during the process, and it is clear that they have already learned and achieved a great deal from the online collaboration with Henk.”

Future

PUM is closing its regular activities in Armenia in November 2024, switching to a new programme focusing on the integration of displaced people from Nagorno Karabakh into Armenian society. Sunny Food is planning to apply for a follow-up project within this programme, which would enable PUM to continue collaborating on finetuning the baby food production.