higher product quality and new flavors

Three new facilities have started operating

This year’s novelty is a several times more powerful, more modern and larger cottage cheese packaging machine with a closed washing system. “We used to wash the machine by hand – the workers had to take it apart. Now this process is carried out automatically, which ensures even better quality of the products”, asserts Laima Balionienė, the manager of the dairy.

This new machine removes 20-30 percent. more different packages of cottage cheese than before.

A raw milk deaerator, which removes extraneous odors from milk, has also started operating. L. Balionienė says that unpleasant odors in milk can be caused by silage used for fodder during the winter, milk that has bloomed in the spring, which gives the milk bitterness.

“It’s just a natural ‘cow’ smell that can be felt in milk and is certainly not pleasant for everyone. It is this extraneous smell that is removed in the deaerator,” explains the manager of the dairy.

The third new device installed in the dairy is an ultrafiltration machine, which allows separating milk proteins and controlling their amount in different products.

“There should be more protein in cottage cheese and cheese. In addition, during the summer, due to a change in the diet of the cows, there is less protein in the milk. This machine allows to evenly distribute proteins in milk products”, says L. Balionienė and adds that all new devices are designed to improve product quality.

Laima Balionienė

New products will delight those with a sweet tooth

The dairy manager presents new products: cherry yogurt with larger pieces of fruit. “We listened to the wishes of the customers and we chop the cherries less, because larger pieces mixed into the yogurt give a brighter taste,” says L. Balionienė.

As the weather warms up, the ice cream season is in full swing and ice cream lovers are in for a super news. From April, look for the honey flavor in stores, 18 percent. fat plumber. “The taste of honey is absolutely new,” smiles Laima.

The production of another new flavor of ice cream is gaining momentum: it is vanilla plum with quince filling. “I’m not a fan of ice cream, but this ice cream is divinely delicious, you must try it,” says L. Balionienė. Look for Plombyr with quince filling in stores from May.

The director of the dairy emphasizes the fact that these plums are made from natural ingredients, so their nostalgic taste is especially liked by those customers who value tradition.

Melted cheeses with a new taste – suitable for spreading on bread and mixing into sauces

In the fall of this year, a new line for cutting fermented cheeses is planned to be installed in the dairy. “We have done a lot in modernizing the work of the dairy, raw milk processing and curd packing facilities, and now all the work is focused on the production of fermented cheeses. We hope that we will be able to start already in the fall of this year”, says L. Balionienė.

And while we are waiting for Rivona’s fermented cheeses, the manager of the dairy offers to try two new flavors of melted cheeses with mushrooms and greens.

UAB “Rivona” dairy

“While we create a recipe for a new product, we have to do a lot of experimenting, combining flavors, and tasting. I joke with other technologists that when tasting new products, I got used to using processed cheeses in my kitchen to prepare sauces – I mix cheeses with mushrooms or greens and nothing else is needed – it’s quick to prepare and extremely tasty,” the dairy manager shares her impressions.

The modernization of the dairy has speeded up production and made people’s work easier

According to Dainius Dundulis, general director of Rivona, all the devices in the cheese-curd workshop work in such a way that there is no longer any need to put in manual labor to get the curd to the packaging device – it travels there on a conveyor: “Human touch is no longer needed and this is a great relief for the employees.”

Four people used to work 10 hours a day in the curd workshop, and now two people working next to the new conveyor make the same amount in 4 hours. It is practically 4 times faster and a great relief for the employees.

Irmantos Gelūnos/BNS photo/Dainius Dundulis

The largest investments were required for a modern yogurt and sour cream bottling facility, which is the only one of its kind in Lithuania. According to D. Dundulis, this is a truly proud innovation in the company. The device does everything by itself – it folds the boxes, puts the products, so now it does not require any manual work.

According to dairy manager L. Balionienė, the new device allowed to significantly increase production. “If before we used to bottle 10 tons in 10 hours, in 8, depending on the size of the jars, now we bottle regarding 16 tons in 8 hours.”

The dairy also purchased a new bottle blowing machine, so the bottles are now produced on site, they do not need to be brought in from another supplier. After the modernization of the milk bottling line, up to 3 tons of milk can be bottled per hour. Bottles are placed in pallets by a robot, whose work is supervised by one employee.

Employees are not laid off – new jobs are created

In Rivona’s dairy, curd cheeses, a product of Lithuanian national heritage, are still lovingly placed and removed from the cheese bags by hand, but now the bound cheeses are pressed and frozen in a modern refrigerator-press built on site, which has made the work of the women working here much easier.

The head of the dairy is happy that during the modernization of production, employees are not fired, but new jobs are created for them, as new products are being produced.

A new warehouse of 1,200 square meters of finished products was also opened this year. According to D. Dundulis, the hot summer showed that this decision was very timely, because only fresh, high-quality products reached the buyers.

UAB “Rivona” dairy

The smooth operation of the dairy is ensured by a new steam boiler, which is needed in the entire production of dairy products. The owner of the company is happy that the new equipment not only works very smoothly, but also saves regarding 50 percent of gas.

“I am really proud of what has been done at the moment and we are already thinking regarding new products. I think it’s only a matter of time when the production will fill up”, said D. Dundulis.

“Rivonas” dairy cooperates with the well-known chef of the “Amandus” restaurant, Deivydus Praspaliauskas, who chooses exceptional quality dairy products for the preparation of his dishes and boldly recommends them to others.

According to D. Praspaliauskas, when he visited the Rivona factory in Alytus, he was surprised by the modern production methods of exceptional quality dairy products. This visit led to a further partnership with the manufacturer, so now in large Norfa stores, customers can see dairy products with the image of the chef as a guarantee of the highest quality.