AGROFIRMA EVRIKA (LLC) was established in 1988 as an enterprise for the cultivation of winter grains and spring crops, oil crops and vegetables. The enterprise, the largest producer of canned fruit and vegetables in the Odesa region, is vertically integrated.

It grows vegetables, from which it produces canned fruit and vegetables, including green peas, pickled cucumbers, tomato paste, zucchini caviar, eggplant caviar, beans in tomato sauce, beans in white sauce, canned tomatoes, tomato sauces, ketchups, tomato, carrot, pumpkin and other juices. Vegetables are processed in the company processing and sold as canned products under the brand name ‘From Grandmother’s Patch’. The company focuses on producing natural products, free from synthetic dyes, thickeners, flavours, preservatives and sweeteners. For preserving the greatest biological value, all products are packaged in the most environmentally-friendly packaging material – glass.

To improve product quality, health and safety and its environmental impact in compliance with EU Directives, the company applied for a €957,985 loan and invested it in new equipment for sterilising canned peas as well as a palletising unit for ready cans. The investment replaced the vertical autoclaves installed in 2002, significantly reducing heavy manual labour and increasing production capacity. It also helped reduce energy and water consumption by nearly 2,700 MWh/y and greenhouse gas emissions by almost 541 t CO₂/y.

After the successful implementation and verification of this project, the company will receive 15 per cent of the loan value as a grant incentive, funded under the EU4Business initiative of the European Union.