According to a recent publication by the World Bank, during recent years food security remains one of the challenges that has had an impact on the global level. While the metrics are slowly stabilizing after the impact of COVID-19 and the current state of the global geopolitical situation, which impacted economic stability through elevating inflation, disrupting supply chains, and other factors, the level of food insecurity still remains significant in many countries and communities. This, in turn, creates the demand for innovative technologies that will help to ensure the availability of food resources even in unfavorable conditions, such as in the areas impacted by natural disasters or other negative factors. An entrepreneur and expert in food technology Yevhenii Shevchenko is one of the people who brings these technological advances closer. Following his vision of improving people’s lives, he invented a method of food processing that allows for its long-term storage while preserving its taste and nutritional value. His story is a source of inspiration for many and a vivid example of innovations brought to live by vision, knowledge and continuous efforts.
Since the very beginning of his professional career, Yevhenii Shevchenko has been looking for opportunities to make a difference. He decided to pursue higher education which will provide a solid base for his future endeavors no matter what industry he will choose in the future. After studying International Economic Relations at the university and acquiring a master’s degree with honors, he decided to focus his efforts in an economic segment directly connected to the population’s quality of life. As food safety is essential for any community, he chose to develop a career in the food industry to develop new technological solutions for the common benefit.
To date, he amassed more than 20 years of experience in the food business and industrial catering. Among the partners of his company in that period there were drilling stations, factories, and other establishments of similar nature, where providing workers with nutritious meals was especially important. Consequently, he focused his efforts on making quality foods accessible for these people. “I find it crucial to make high-quality meals available to those who face difficult conditions or high workload,” comments Yevhenii Shevchenko. “Since then, I have continuously worked on developing and improving the technology to achieve this goal.”
To do so, Yevhenii Shevchenko needed to find a new approach to food processing. While certain methods of preserving food have existed before, they have their disadvantages, and since 2014 he worked relentlessly to overcome them. “I had to find the balance between several characteristics,” he explains. “The food rations should retain their nutritional value, provide enough variety, and all this without getting too expensive or too complicated in production.” He wanted to preserve the qualities of original meals, including those of national cuisine, while making them lasting and easy to prepare. The result of this endeavor was a wide range of ready-to-use meals in retort packaging, which can be stored for up to 2 years without losing their taste and nutrition characteristics.
Yevhenii Shevchenko managed to create a product that possessed several advantages in comparison to sublimated or dried meals, as it did not require additional processing or preparation. The meal in the retort packaging can be heated with any available method or consumed without heating. Consequently, these meals become immensely useful in many situations where preparing a full meal is not an option.
In addition, Yevhenii wanted his product to become an universal solution, beneficial to various segments of the population. He wanted to expand the initial target demographic, making his meals beneficial for wider audiences. While its main consumer category is people performing their work in difficult conditions, there are many other situations where such a meal comes in handy. For instance, it is an appealing option for people who maintain an active lifestyle, take part in long-distance hiking, and spend a lot of time outdoors. The features of the retort packaging allow one to have tasty and nutritious meals even when lighting a fire is not an option.
Yevhenii Shevchenko didn’t stop at achieving an initial goal. He worked further to improve his technology, making it applicable to various dishes. The unique combination of technologies and food processing methods developed by Yevhenii Shevchenko makes it possible to prepare various types of first and second courses, containing meats, vegetables, porridge and other key components of a healthy meal. “Providing satiating and nutritious meals is important, but there are other factors to consider,” comments Yevhenii Shevchenko. “The variety and taste qualities are also of great importance, especially for those who rely on our rations for a long period of time. Consequently, we took these factors into account while developing the technology.”
Another aspect of the project Yevhenii Shevchenko paid constant attention to was the implementation of his food processing technology. He wanted to make it as robust and straightforward as possible, so it would not require too specialized equipment. Now his method does not require unique or difficult-to-access equipment, which makes it possible to integrate it at existing food factories, even those of smaller scale. The technology created by Yevhenii Shevchenko was patented as a unique method of food processing used to produce meals with extended shelf life and high nutritional value.
When developing his project, Yevhenii Shevchenko focused on optimizing his business both in terms of production and finance, and it paid off. A few years ago, he was going to create a factory dedicated specifically to producing food using this technology, however, his plans were disrupted by recent world events. However, Yevhenii Shevchenko continues to grow his business to provide people with accessible and nutritious meals. Recently, he became a member of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is another testament to his achievement. As for his immediate plans, he intends to export his product to the US, establishing a position in the US market, and there is no doubt that it will find its customers among multiple market segments. He continues to improve his technology, finding new opportunities and using them to make a truly positive difference.
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