New wholesale food center Food city, on the Kaluga highway opened in September 2014 exactly a year after pretty scared of the carnage around the Biryulyovo vegetable warehouse. Freshly built agrocluster was intended to perform the same function — the main wholesale markets of the capital on the part of the food. But at a new level: comfortable porches, concrete, glass and metal, a lot of light. And along with the already semi-criminal veil, which had grown over the post-Soviet years of the Biryulyovo base. After six years, the giant wholesale the cluster has become an integral part of the Moscow food trade. But remained a hotbed of tension: may 15 on-site Food city riots requiring the intervention of Regardie. How the work of this center and why is there from time to time this happens, “MK” has learned from people who trade on its territory.
First a few figures: Food city is 91 hectares almost in kilometre from MKAD on the Kaluga highway. Its circulation is 5,000 tons of food per day, which is 15% of the total food turnover in the capital. The agrarian cluster consists of shopping complex (almost 350 thousand square meters, it is almost five times more Gum on the red square), wholesale warehouses (300 thousand “squares”) and the so-called cross-docks — covered areas, where possible from a single truck to reload the contents into another — an area of 50 thousand square meters.
When I first came here, confused, – says Alexei Polyansky, dedicated to the delivery of fresh food to the house under the order. – I bought vegetables and fruit for one of the restaurants at Dorogomilovsky market, it was quite expensive, but we had agreements with specific sellers, and they did us a good price. After the classical market, this cluster seemed to be just a giant — not only because of size, but because there were very few people. It was the year 2015, they have not yet unwound. About two-thirds of the pavilions in the Mall was empty. First there were Azerbaijani children with a full range of vegetables and fruits, primarily Turkish. In fact, one of these sellers I was enticed with the Dorogomilovsky market.
For the Azerbaijan wholesalers were followed by businessmen from the North Caucasus and Central Asia Alexei. Some time, Food city was actually free from the “retaliatory sanctions”, imposed by Russia against a number of EU products in 2014. Already when the stores in Moscow, it was impossible to obtain products of European origin, some sellers of this cluster at your own risk offered buyers “sanctions”. However, by the end of 2015, this still put things in order, recalls Polanski: to get, for example, the European cheeses there was almost impossible.
– Poho��th situation was and vegetables from Turkey, adds the carrier. – When we were with them a trade war after it shot down our plane (the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 – “MK”), a Turkish fruit and tomatoes from Food city is not lost, just they were called Azerbaijan. But a direct question — from where? the merchants nodded.
“Food city” all working “by the rules”, said the “MK” George, the cook of one of the Greek restaurants of Moscow, purchased at this centre for several years. “I went there in search of the real feta cheese, which is now forbidden to import from Greece, – says Georgy. – Greeks there sells only a few people, and the fact that Pontic Greeks, almost other people. And I — despite the fact that I asked in Greek! – with a straight face said: no cheese, brother, no, sanctions! Only after I found a common friend who vouched for me — I sold what you need. And sold to the last time, as the restaurant worked.
As a “Food city” get the food, which there don’t seem to be a mystery. On a direct question any salesperson will smile (or frown) and leave the answer. “Where’s the fish? Out of the sea!” – laughs a seller that offers smoked omul, sturgeon, whitefish, trout… Some species of fish — particularly sturgeon — a legitimate way to get extremely difficult and burdensome, and here they are. A miracle, not otherwise.
somewhere about two years ago I first noticed that people on “Food city” sometimes some tense – continues to Alexei Polyansky. – Joyless, so to speak. Ask — guys, what happened? and I answer: hard money became. That is, the logistics have increased (fuel, toll roads, the “Plato”), and to raise prices does not work. It’s on a small market, all sellers can negotiate and keep the same price, and there are only a dozen major diasporas, on one some direction — two or three firms of different Nations deliver the goods. For example, tomatoes: is an Azerbaijani trucks, there are Turks, is the Caucasus. Azerbaijanis hold the price, and the Turks would like to raise — they need to survive. But don’t raise because there are Azerbaijani tomatoes. Little to raise, we must all agree, but it’s long. But when you negotiate, the price may immediately jump to twenty per cent — this has already happened with the greens, and apples, and lots of it.
Regardless of nationality, entrepreneurs at “Food city” are famous self-organization, says the carrier. In the eyes a few times, there were conflicts sellers from different diasporas: the young men began to quarrel and almost came to blows. But the conflict was invariably stopped by the “support group” from several sides — a fight stopped growing “from the ground” sturdy guys. If the conflict was serious, probably, RanbirALIS on another level.
the Hierarchy at Food city, according to Alexey, is this: at the very top — large wholesalers-entrepreneurs, who mingled with the property. It’s enough rich people driving black cars of a business class, wearing a massive gold ring. Lower level — independent small wholesalers are owners of one or more trucks. They are actively involved in the trade, but represent, only if we unite. Even lower — wage workers: drivers, carriers, sellers. And at the base of the pyramid, hundreds of warehouse workers, porters, and similar unskilled workers. They are, as a rule, natives of Central Asia and many of them apparently live in the same town where I work.
– Actually, as I understand it, the visitors are afraid of nothing, says Polyansky. – But if you’re a man and if you don’t walk there on official corners. Girls I would in any case not advised to go there alone, still young guys with a specific education. In General, in such places the rule is simple: less fuss, where it is not necessary — will be more whole. In the conflict I would have with them did not climb, because if not leg it.
