A Moscow ice cream plant holding the franchise of Baskin-Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, intends to supply its products to Europe in the medium term following approval from the European Commission, a company official said on Wednesday.
EU inspectors visited the Moscow-based BRPI plant and confirmed that the plant's output complied with the EU's ice cream quality requirements, the official said.
"Supplies to Europe will allow us to increase the Russian plant's production," the official said.
The market of premium ice cream is well developed in the EU and Baskin Robbins ice creams are widely sold in Europe. However, BRPI is currently Europe's largest producer of Baskin Robbins ice creams. Baskin-Robbins has a plant in London but it produces ice cream on order while other supplies of its ice cream to Europe come from Canada, the official said.
Today, there are more than 6,000 Baskin-Robbins ice-cream parlors in 44 countries.
Russia's first Baskin-Robbins parlor was opened in Moscow in 1988. Moscow's BRPI plant was opened in 1996. Baskin-Robbins' network in Russia consists of 145 outlets in 68 cities offering more than 125 ice cream flavors.
MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti)
