ARMENIA EXPANDS KOSHER PRODUCT LINE

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
3349
Feb 12 2010

YEREVAN, Armenia – In the small former Soviet republic of Armenia,
now an independent country, the Jewish community numbers only a few
hundred people. Nevertheless, local Jews enjoy a rich selection of
various kosher food and food related products, which are not only
for local consumption, but also intended for export to outside markets.

Armenia began to export kosher products in 2003 when they exported
kosher aluminum foil to the United States. In 2004-2006, two more
food producers – a cannery and a beer brewery – began to export a
wide range of kosher canned vegetables, beer and lemonade to Israel,
France and the United States.

In 2010, the Orthodox Union certified two manufacturers whose products
– pomegranate wine, natural juices, pomegranate and apricot vodka, and
fruit jam – will soon appear on store shelves bearing the OU kosher
symbol. Chief Rabbi of Armenia Gersh Meir Burshtein is a mashgiach
(supervisor) for the Rabbinate of Chicago, a collaboration that
resulted in the kosher certification of yet another Armenian cannery
in 2009.

According to Rabbi Burshtein, Armenia has strong potential for
expansion with respect to the production of high quality kosher
products.

This year, the reconstruction of a local cheese factory is also
scheduled for completion. For over eight years, Rabbi Burshtein
supervised the production of small quantities of "Chalav Yisrael"
cheese. With the reconstruction of the factory, the plant’s entire
production will be focused on kosher cheeses.

While Armenian producers are not oriented towards producing mass
quantities of kosher products, they are certainly top-of-the-line
and high quality comparable to that of world famous producers.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress