Frozen convenience foods are quite popular among the population. They provide an excellent opportunity to quickly prepare a delicious dinner. The opportunity to save time is very important for a modern working person. Since the demand for instant products is at a stable high level, many manufacturers have launched a variety of pancakes and dumplings on the market. One of the famous products can be called dumplings "Daria". Despite the fact that they have not been produced for several years, the success story was so vivid that many still remember this name.
Product History
Oleg Tinkov is one of the most successful businessmen of our time. He began to engage in entrepreneurship quite early, but to dumplings, none of the areas of his activity had anything to do. As often happens in life, a combination of circumstances contributed to this. One day there was a chance acquaintance with a Greek businessman engaged in the sale of dumpling machines. That evening, Oleg asked his wife whether this product was in demand and whether she was buying. To which she replied that she was acquiring them constantly, so that there was always a supply in the freezer, as their daughter Daria simply adored them. Tinkoff was seriously considering the idea of starting production.
Since this business was absolutely unfamiliar to Oleg, he called one of the companies in whose assortment was this semi-finished product, asking if they could buy 100 kg of ravioli. Having learned that their minimum shipment is 10 tons, he decided that you can start a business.
Equipment was purchased from a Greek partner and production began in St. Petersburg. So in 1997, dumplings "Daria" appeared.
Market conquest
When the product first appeared on the market, there was no fierce competition. But at the same time, buyers often preferred the proven Talosto brand product, as the oldest and most famous.
Tinkov was not taken seriously and was not considered a competitor, since the demand for dumplings of TM “Daria” was very modest compared to the products of other players. But after some three years the situation has changed dramatically. The daily output at its facilities was twice as high as that of competitors.
Why was the project successful? One of the important factors was the way the product was marketed. An advertisement appeared on the streets depicting naked female buttocks stained with flour. The inscription on the poster read: "Your favorite dumplings !!!". Of course, the image made a lot of noise, but very quickly made the brand recognizable. Out of curiosity, customers began to choose Darya dumplings. And since the taste was at a high level, and the cost could not afford, the product quickly became one of the most chosen.
Change of ownership
According to Oleg Tinkov himself, it’s interesting for him to create something new. But doing the same thing for many years is pretty boring. Therefore, in 2001, the sale of dumplings to Roman Abramovich took place.
Over the years of development, a large assortment of products has appeared under this brand and under some others.
But in 2014, the project was completely closed by the David Davidovich company, which at that time controlled the brand. The explanation for such a serious step was a change in the business sector, where dumplings "Daria" and all other products of the same name were unnecessary.
Dumplings scandals
The founder of the company is a fan of shocking the public with rather controversial advertising. Each time it brought recognition and quick profit with relatively small investments. Therefore, it is not surprising that female buttocks were only the beginning in the promotion of Daria products. Tinkov and the following owners never rested on their laurels, so there was always a lot of noise around the company and the brand. Advertising wars led to meetings with competitors in courts in which they were not successful. What only worked the company on hand.
Expert review
A few years before the cessation of production, dumplings of several manufacturers were selected for expert evaluation. The television program was dedicated to this. In addition to taste and appearance, it was checked how much the real composition corresponded to that indicated on the package. It turned out that the test did not pass the Daria dumplings, the manufacturer added soy, but did not put information about its availability on the package.
A comment was later given that the company actually used soy. But she was of very high quality, her value can sometimes be higher than meat. This was done in order to improve the taste, and the Russian bias towards soy has no reason.
Thus, a very successful start of the company and gaining a good position in the market did not mean a long and glorious history. The brand did not exist even for two decades, which may be another confirmation of how fierce the competition in the frozen semi-finished products market has become.