Innovation

One of the main innovations at SIBERECO is the use of wild plants with the preservation of natural ingredients. Natural ingredients allow people to maintain a high level of health. This is important for achieving the UN SDG 3 "Good Health and Well-being".

SIBERECO also processes whole pine nuts: shells, kernels and amniotic film. In each of its components there is a whole palette of various useful elements for human health. Complete processing of the whole nut reduces the amount of recycled materials, reduces transportation and disposal costs. This is how the UN SDG 12 "Responsible Consumption and Production" is addressed.

Inspiration

We asked the founder of SIBERECO Ivan Gusakov about how his journey began. Ivan told us that: "At the time of the creation of his business, he did not think about sustainable development." Moreover, perhaps at that time he did not even know what it was. Previously, he and his partners owned several extremely successful bars in the city of Tomsk. It was his life's work. However, at some point he told us that he wanted to stop working with alcohol. Obviously, this was due to changes in his worldview, new values and priorities appeared in his life. Ivan chose a difficult path - he left his business and decided to create a new one.

Now his purpose is to produce unique products from natural ingredients: "Products that bring great benefits to people and are suitable for daily use." The desire to create benefits for this world, inspired Ivan to move forward despite the difficulties. This initiative carried huge risks, as it implied the introduction of a completely new products to the market. Pine Nut Coffee is a product that users have never seen before. However, for the sake of a greater purpose, the entrepreneur took these risks. He was motivated by the idea that nature can give us a unique benefit, with which we were not familiar before. He wanted to popularize this idea among ordinary consumers, and he managed to do it. As he himself told us: "Happiness for me is to hear how our products are praised by other people". Confidence in his idea, support and approval from society inspired Ivan to go through this difficult path.

Overall impact

The main business idea is the production of innovative natural products and beverages. Products are created from the "gifts of nature", which Siberia is rich in. Popularization of the consumption of such products leads to positive long-term impact. It includes improving the health of consumers, increasing attention to natural ingredients, reducing the proportion of junk food in the diet. Shifting the focus to healthy substitutes for harmful products is an important step towards people's health. According to Ivan, his innovative drink Pine Nut Coffee perfectly replaces regular coffee. In addition, it brings great health benefits. This drink can be drunk by children, pregnant women and the elderly. But innovation doesn't end there.

The company strives to maximize the use of raw materials. The entrepreneur told us about the processing of pine nuts as an example. All parts of the nut are used in production - even the shell. The short-term consequences of this decision are an even more useful composition of the drink. Long-term effects are in reduction of waste, minimization of negative impact on the environment. SIBERECO also reduces the amount of garbage in production, which also reduces the damage to the environment in the short and long term. Then, the participation of SIBERECO in various public events about sustainable development popularizes their approach and has a positive impact on the information agenda both in their region and throughout the country. With its small steps, the company is bringing our country closer to conscious production and consumption.

Business benefit

The innovations allowed SIBERECO in 2017 to build its positioning around the new product in terms of marketing, which gave the business a competitive advantage and ultimately had a positive impact on financial performance. The founder of SIBERECO said that after the appearance of innovative products, marketing campaigns focused on these products. In this way, the company continued to support its usual market products, but shifted focus on new ones, which affects efficiency.

The company’s innovative products improve consumer habits. Through their approach to production and marketing, the rational use of natural products is brought to people. In this way, people change their consumption habits and discover new products. In the case of SIBERECO business, the company managed to improve the lives of consumers due to the natural composition of its products, which has a positive impact on the health of people. That is, the more people change their habits, the healthier society becomes.

Innovative products have influenced the purpose of the company, which has subsequently shifted to socially responsible practices due to external factors. In this way, innovative products have influenced the lives of the company’s employees, who felt the company’s good intentions and their significant contribution to the improvement of the environment. So during the interview much attention was paid to the corporate culture and friendly environment inside the team. The company used sustainability coverage as a tool to combat employee disappointment associated with the crisis in our country. At that difficult time, when all the employees did not understand what to do next, the desire to make this world a better place helped them to continue working further. Yes, we cannot change the global circumstances, but we can do our little good deeds and we will continue to do it. As a result, the team rallied stronger and the motivation grew.

Social and environmental benefit

The company’s innovative products improve the mood of consumers who depending on this change their attitude to the environment. Thus, after the emergence of innovative products, there is a hypothesis about improving the ecology of the regions where the company’s products are created.

More specifically, the company’s production is located in the city of Tomsk, that is, to test the hypothesis, it is possible to estimate indicators of a responsible approach to consumption in this region in a dynamic focusing on the trend since 2017. In addition, the company tries to comply with all possible of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. That is, all technologies and techniques are used in production to minimize harm to the environment.

Moreover, by improving the lives and working environment of its employees, the company creates a mindset of responsible consumption and care for the environment through word-of-mouth! By branding a socially responsible company, each member of the team carries with her/him the mission of improving the world around them, for which s/he makes considerable efforts. It is thanks to innovative products that it is possible to maintain the enthusiasm of the team and the trend of improving the world around. That happens because innovative products allow companies to change the way people live and think, which is already an element of behavioral change. The brand with innovative products offers the opportunity to increase the loyalty of its customers, through which all the values with a focus on the welfare of the world.

Interviews

Ivan Gusakov, Siberica Founder and Director for Sustainable Development of JSC National Strategic Assets

Ksenya Panarina, Quality Management System Expert