On October 10, 2017, Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman, the man who stood at the origins of the development of the tea growing industry in the Krasnodar Territory, passed away. Thanks to him, the brand “Krasnodar Tea” appeared, which became famous not only in Russia, but also abroad.

Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman was born on February 23, 1920 in the Zhitomir region. In June 1941, he went to the front as a volunteer. During the war years, he was awarded two Orders of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, and the medals “For Military Merit” and “For Courage.” After the war in 1947, he entered the Moscow Order of Lenin Academy. K. A. Timiryazev, from which he graduated with honors. Having refused graduate school, Ustim Shteiman was sent to the Krasnodar region to develop the young tea growing industry. In 1952, he began working at the Dagomys tea state farm as a department manager. In 1972, the Krasnodar Tea company was formed, uniting tea state farms and factories in the Adler, Khostinsky and Lazarevsky districts of Sochi. Ustim Genrikhovich became its general director, while heading the Dagomyssky tea state farm...

Ustim Genrikhovich was deeply concerned about the tea farm entrusted to him. During these years, state farms of the Krasnodar Territory reached maximum volumes of tea leaf harvest, collecting up to 10 thousand tons in some years. Hundreds of hectares of plantations were laid out, and the Dagomys and Adler tea factories were modernized. During the same period, under the leadership of Shteiman, automatic irrigation of tea plantations and the use of small-scale mechanization in the collection of tea leaves were introduced.

Ustim Genrikhovich for his labor merits in 1973 received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

Until 1998, Honored Agronomist of the Russian Federation Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman was the president of the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers. In recent years he lived in Moscow. The administration of the city of Sochi, members of the Association of Krasnodar Tea Producers and residents of the resort city express sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ustim Genrikhovich and the firm belief that his memory will live on throughout the existence of Krasnodar tea.

Ira Petrova

Latest news from the Krasnodar region on the topic:
Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman passed away

The creator of the Krasnodar Tea brand has passed away- Krasnodar

Ustin Shteiman died at the age of 98 in Moscow. An honorary citizen of the city of Sochi, Ustim Genrikhovich was called the elder of the domestic tea industry; he devoted his entire life to its development.
10:07 12.10.2017 LiveKuban.Ru

The name of Ustim Shteiman is well known in Sochi. He devoted more than half a century of his working life to tea growing. He went from an ordinary worker at the Dagomys state farm to the general director of the Krasnodarchay association, and then to an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the USSR. Hero of Socialist Labor, awarded three Orders of Lenin, Honored Agronomist of the Russian Federation... Since 1998, Ustim Genrikhovich has been the President of the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers (Roschaykofe), and since 2007, an Honorary Citizen of Sochi.
As President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin signed an order to reward Shteiman with gratitude for his great contribution to the development of the food industry and many years of conscientious work, and recently, as Prime Minister, he awarded him a certificate of honor. This year, one of the most respected tea growers in the country turned 88 years old. Ustim Genrikhovich dedicated his new visit to the land of magnolias to the realization of a long-standing dream...

THE NORTHERNEST IN THE WORLD…
“At one time,” recalls Shteiman, “I created “Tea Houses” here, which became a local landmark. They were visited by heads of state and government, prominent cultural and artistic figures. True, today the houses are no longer what they used to be. The flavor of Russian national tradition has given way to international etiquette. And as the president of Roschaykofe, I really want to return the emphasis on Russian samovars, Krasnopolyansky honey, Kuban pies and the Krasnodar Tea brand... So that any foreign guest can say with delight: “The Russian spirit is here, it smells like Russia!” True, soon only fairy tales will be told.
– Tea is a child of the subtropics, however, like in a fairy tale, it has taken root in our cold country...
– Thanks to the enthusiastic peasant Ioann Antonovich Koshman, who in 1901 planted a plantation of 800 bushes brought from Georgia in the village of Solokhaul on the banks of the Shakhe River at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. At the beginning of the last century, many peasants worked near Batumi, in Chakvi, on the first tea plantations created in Georgia on the territory of the Russian Empire. The presence of tea-suitable yellow soils (krasnozems) in the Sochi district was established in the late 90s of the last century.
– But why did Koshman need to move from Georgia to Russia?
– He was a peasant, but not “a poorly educated ignoramus in bast shoes,” but a real ascetic and promoter of tea. Having selected seeds and seedlings, Ivan Antonovich transported them from Chakvi to these regions. He chose the right piece of land and established the first Russian tea plantation, which still exists today, on an area of ​​1300 square meters. One funny incident is connected with it, which happened in the post-war years, when the mountain villages of the Lazarevsky district began to be populated by settlers from the Bryansk region. I remember that one such person was allocated the Koshmanovsky plot. All the tea was instantly uprooted and corn was planted. But instead of corn, tea came again! The migrant even went to complain...
– When did Russian tea begin to conquer the domestic market?
– In 1905, Koshman demonstrated his tea at an agricultural exhibition and at the Russian Riviera exhibition in St. Petersburg. Sold at a ruble per pound, the domestic product quickly found demand and was highly valued by tea traders. But the tsarist government was not interested in its own raw material base, because the largest taxes came precisely from tea imports. And yet, in 1910, at the Sochi Agricultural Exhibition, Koshman demonstrated samples of ready-made Russian tea. He produced approximately 50 kilograms of dry leaf on his plot. The Soviet government treated the tea grower with great respect. The first industrial plantations of Krasnodar tea with a total area of ​​150 hectares were laid in the Adler and Lazarevsky districts in 1936, a year after the death of 97-year-old Ioann Antonovich. In the post-war years, specialized tea state farms were created here and two tea factories were built. And soon tea became the leading industrial agricultural crop in the Sochi region: its bushes covered the mountain slopes from Adler to Tuapse with a continuous delicate light green carpet.
– Are there any plantings more northern than in Solokhaul?
– Goytkh is in Adygea, but they have no industrial significance.

WHITE STRIP
– Ustim Genrikhovich, how did fate bring you to Sochi? I know that you were born in the Ukrainian city of Berdichev...
– This was in 1920, and in 1941 he graduated from the biology department of the Teachers’ Institute in Ukraine, but did not have time to pass the state exams. He served throughout the war in the mountain rifle units of the internal troops of the NKVD. They also fought with the famous Edelweiss division and participated in other special operations. I have military awards - two orders, seventeen medals...
– And after demobilization?
– After demobilization in 1947 – the 1st Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee on Agriculture. And I decided to go to the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. He graduated with honors and was a Michurin personal scholarship recipient. I stayed in graduate school, but asked to be assigned to production. That’s how I ended up in the Krasnodar region. He went through all the stages: he was a worker, a foreman, a manager, a chief agronomist, a director, and then a general director.
– They say they didn’t agree to the prefix “general” for a long time?
– Then, in 1972, there were only two general directors in the USSR - in the Krasnodar Tea association and in the Leningrad company Leto, which specialized in fruits and vegetables. I was persuaded to become a “general” by the first secretary of the regional party committee Zolotukhin and the chairman of the regional executive committee Medunov, who specially came to my farm. “Let me just remain the director of the state farm,” I tell them. And Zolotukhin answered me: “But you don’t know what kind of fool they will send you as a leader!” What can I say?! But I achieved at the Ministry that, in addition to the duties of the general director, I also retained the position of director of the state farm.
– The main directions in your work then were increasing productivity and new technologies. How did it happen that the fame of Dagomys tea growers thundered throughout the world?
“We introduced irrigation to tea cultivation for the first time and raised water to a height of 300 meters. The plant itself gave a signal when to turn on the irrigation system. Full automation! We were even awarded special certificates and medals from the World Irrigation Congress, and our experience began to be actively used in other countries. I made a special trip to Kenya...
The introduction of small-scale mechanization is our second achievement. We designed our own manual tea picking machines: easier than the Japanese ones! Mechanized assembly does not lead to a deterioration in product quality. This is a misconception. You just need to precisely match all the technology to the car. The main thing here is a rhythmic, coordinated process! As a result, we reached 10 thousand tons of Krasnodar tea leaves. And when I started, there were only 2 thousand tons.

BLACK LINE
– The market economy knocked Krasnodarchay off the leadership pedestal. And among Fortune’s favorites unexpectedly were “May Tea”, “Orimi Trade”, “Grand”, “Golden Elephant” - companies that started everything almost from scratch. How can this be explained?
– The misconception of many specialized managers who believed that Krasnodar tea will always enjoy enormous success and that no special efforts need to be made for this. When the practice of government procurement of tea ceased to exist and market relations emerged, no one began to purchase, for example, Georgian tea. Everyone knew about its low quality. And they preferred Indian, Ceylon – familiar and well-established brands. In other words, the time for change had come, and everyone had to rebuild. After all, people drink tea, no matter what. Russians annually consume 170 thousand tons of tea (an average of one kilogram per person). Our country ranks third in the world (after China and India) in consumption of this drink. In addition, the equipment at the Dagomys factory was the best in the Soviet Union, capable of processing green leaves using new technologies. Alas, we missed the chance. Now Krasnodar tea is considered uncompetitive.
– And they still grow it?
- They are growing. Although in the soil and climatic conditions of India, Ceylon, and Vietnam, this problem is much easier to solve than here. And the difference in salaries in India and Russia is large. In India, tea growers receive much less for their work. But understand that the Sochi subtropics with their tea, tangerines, oranges, lemons, feijoas, persimmons, figs, bay leaves, hazelnuts, medicinal and spicy plants, a variety of rare flowers are the diamond in the “crown” of Russia. And “picking out” it for the sake of the market or the market situation is stupid!
We are not going to serve the whole country with Krasnodar tea. The problem can be formulated differently. The quality of Russian tea is quite high, why not grow its special types, selling at the same price as the famous North Indian Darjeeling tea, which costs from 20-30 to 70 dollars per kilogram. Moreover, the production of elite tea is nothing new for us! At one time, the leadership of the Soviet Union - the government and the Politburo - drank only Krasnodar tea. I know this for sure: I supplied it myself. And when government delegations went to other countries, say, Great Britain, they took our tea with them as a valuable souvenir.

TRIBUTE TO TRADITION
– Your wife, Larisa Eduardovna, also made a big contribution to the creation of the famous “Tea Houses”...
– Yes, it’s been twenty years since she died... Possessing good taste, she put her whole soul into this work, independently developed the design, thought through every little detail. There were three houses. The first is small, the second is large, with a veranda and a wonderful collection of samovars (one of the best in the Soviet Union!). The third is the largest, delivered in 1972. This house was built by a family of Hutsuls from Western Ukraine - noble craftsmen who built a camp site in Rakhiv and a restaurant in the Carpathian region. Absolutely everything is done by hand: wood carvings and exhibits of Russian folk crafts. Our "Tea Houses", built in the mountains at 600 meters above sea level and with a beautiful view of the vast expanse of the sea, the majestic silhouette of the Main Caucasus Range, were a great success. Every year they were visited by more than one hundred thousand foreign tourists vacationing in Sochi. The guests were greeted by girls dressed in ancient Russian clothes, given tea, and treated to pies, jam, honey, and fruit. But first we had an introductory tour, which included a tour of a tea plantation and a museum of samovars...
– For ten years now you have been heading the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers. What was the purpose of its creation?
– Coordination of efforts in resolving common issues in the areas of tax and customs policy, product quality control... What is the problem of falsification worth? It’s impossible for every small company or store to go to the government with these concerns. Therefore, a group of large entrepreneurs involved in tea in Russia came to the conclusion that it was time to unite. Following the example of confectioners, sugar workers, tobacco workers. And the first thing we achieved was the right to be called the “Russian Association,” which immediately makes us closer to the government and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. We stood up to defend the domestic tea producer. In 1997, more than 70 percent of tea came to Russia from abroad in packaged form. And our factories packaged less than 30 percent. Here voices began to sound that we have the power, how long can we stand idle?! Instead of finished products, it is necessary to receive raw materials, and packaging should be done on site. This makes it easier to control the quality of tea products. Moreover, packaging implies the development of printing, the cardboard industry, the production of tin cans, and the creation of tens of thousands of additional jobs! Plus taxes that remain in our country.
To limit the influx of packaged tea into the country, our association achieved a change in customs duties: five percent was established on raw materials, and 20 percent on packaged goods. And today more than 70 percent of tea is packaged in Russian factories!
– In 2001, “Roschai” turned into “Roschaykofe”. On whose initiative?
– On the initiative of manufacturing companies of both tea and coffee: “Orimi Trade”, “May Tea”, “Grand Trading House” and others. We are only taking the first steps towards creating a domestic coffee industry. But we are moving in the right direction, and this infuriates our foreign rivals. They see results in tea. The moment we stopped receiving tea from Georgia, foreign companies immediately bombarded us with tea, and now we are holding them back.
– As a tea fan, it always seemed to me that these two drinks were antagonists.
- This is wrong. Tea and coffee are different botanically. But the basis of the effect of these drinks on the human body is caffeine. There are natural and climatic similarities in the places where they grow. Another thing is traditions: if tea has taken root in Russia and England, then in Europe they prefer coffee.
As for competition, it exists within both the tea and coffee markets. Previously, no one drank instant coffee, but now, in the age of speed, speed of preparation has become a priority: throw in a spoonful of coffee, add boiling water, stir - and you're done! It's the same with tea. Once upon a time it was brewed exclusively in teapots. The main thing that, in my opinion, unites these natural drinks is the challenge they pose to alcohol, drugs, as well as chemical analogues such as Coca-Cola. The more tea houses there were in Rus', the fewer alcoholics there were. It is a pity that today, when promoting tea, the emphasis is primarily on its healing properties, which is more attractive to older people. But tea is suitable for all ages! True, in my opinion, young people should not get too carried away with bags. The bag is temporary (like instant coffee). It is for those who “are in a hurry to live and in a hurry to feel.” Traditional tea drinking is akin to an art that stands above vanity.
– Do your children drink tea?
- Certainly! And not just children. I have three daughters, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren - my main wealth!
– Ustim Genrikhovich, I can’t help but ask how you, Honorary Citizen of Sochi, took the news of the change in the status of the city?
- With joy. In 2014 I will turn 94 years old... During my life I have visited 79 countries of the world. And I can declare with full responsibility that now Sochi, not in words, but in deeds, is becoming a resort of international level. From a Winter Olympics perspective, this is doing everything right. But agriculture is going through hard times. Tea plantations are in dire condition. Therefore, as an agronomist, I must say that Sochi is far behind in this matter. Of course, everything can be corrected if there is a desire. But the desire, apparently, is still very small... If something can be proven by deeds, then there is no need to waste words on it.
Victor TERENTYEV.

19 April 2010 16:12

Hero of Socialist Labor, awarded three Orders of Lenin, Honored Agronomist of the Russian Federation, since 1998, Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman - President of the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers, and since 2007 - Honorary Citizen.
Krasnodar tea can regain its former glory if the traditions of domestic tea growers are revived. At one time, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed an order to reward Shteiman with gratitude for his great contribution to the development of the food industry and many years of conscientious work, and recently, as Prime Minister, he awarded him a Certificate of Honor. This year, one of the most respected tea growers in the country turned 88 years old. Ustim Genrikhovich dedicated his new visit to the land of magnolias to the realization of a long-standing dream...

THE NORTHERNEST IN THE WORLD...
“At one time,” recalls Ustim Genrikhovich, “I created “Tea Houses” here, which became a local landmark. They were visited by heads of state and government, prominent cultural and artistic figures. True, now the houses are not what they used to be. The flavor of Russian national tradition has given way to international etiquette. And as the president of Roschaykofe, I really want to return the emphasis on Russian samovars, Krasnopolyansky honey, Kuban pies and the Krasnodar Tea brand. So that every foreign guest can say with delight: “The Russian spirit is here, it smells like Russia!” No wonder they say that soon only fairy tales are told.
- Tea is a child of the subtropics, however, like in a fairy tale, it has taken root in our cold country...
- Thanks to the peasant enthusiast Ioann Antonovich Koshman, who planted
In 1901, in the village of Solokhaul on the banks of the Shakhe River at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, a plantation of 800 bushes brought from Georgia was established. At the beginning of the last century, many peasants worked near Batumi, in Chakvi, on the first tea plantations created in Georgia, which was then part of the Russian Empire. The presence of tea-suitable yellow soils (krasnozems) in the Sochi district was established in the late 90s of the last century.
- But why did Koshman need to move from Georgia to Russia?
- He was a peasant, but not a “poorly educated ignoramus in bast shoes,” but a real ascetic and promoter of tea. Having selected seeds and seedlings, Ivan Antonovich transported them from Chakvi to our region. He chose the right piece of land and established the first Russian tea plantation, which still exists today, on an area of ​​1300 square meters. One funny incident is connected with it, which happened in the post-war years, when the mountain villages of the Lazarevsky district began to be populated by settlers from the Bryansk region. I remember that one such person was allocated the Koshmanovsky plot. All the tea was instantly uprooted and corn was planted. But instead of corn, tea came again! The migrant even went to complain...
- When did Russian tea begin to conquer the domestic market?
- In 1905, Koshman demonstrated his tea at an agricultural exhibition and at the Russian Riviera exhibition in St. Petersburg. Sold at a ruble per pound, the domestic product quickly found demand and was highly valued by tea traders. But the tsarist government was not interested in its own raw material base, because the largest taxes came precisely from tea imports. However, in 1910, at the Sochi Agricultural Exhibition, Koshman demonstrated samples of ready-made Russian tea. He produced approximately 50 kilograms of dry leaf on his plot. The Soviet government treated the tea grower with great respect. The first industrial plantations of Krasnodar tea with a total area of ​​150 hectares were laid in the Adler and Lazarevsky districts in 1936, a year after the death of 97-year-old Ioann Antonovich. In the post-war years, specialized tea state farms were created here and two tea factories were built. And soon tea became the main industrial agricultural crop in the Sochi region: its bushes covered the mountain slopes from Adler to Tuapse with a continuous delicate light green carpet.
- Are there any plantings more northern than in Solokhaul?
- Goytkh in the Tuapse region, but they have no industrial significance.

WHITE STRIP
- Ustim Genrikhovich, how did you end up in Sochi? I know that you were born in the Ukrainian city of Berdichev.
- This was in 1920, and in 1941 I graduated from the biology department of the Teachers' Institute in Ukraine, but did not have time to pass the state exams. He served throughout the war in the mountain rifle units of the internal troops of the NKVD. They fought with the famous Edelweiss division and participated in other special operations. I have military awards - two orders, seventeen medals.
- And after demobilization?
- After demobilization in 1947, the Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee on Agriculture was held. And I decided to go to the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. He graduated with honors and was a Michurin personal scholarship recipient. I stayed in graduate school, but asked to be assigned to production. That’s how I ended up in the Krasnodar region. He went through all the stages: he was a worker, a foreman, a manager, a chief agronomist, a director, and then a general director.
- They say they didn’t agree to the prefix “general” for a long time?
- Then, in 1972, there were only two general directors in the USSR - in the Krasnodar Tea association and in the Leningrad company Peto, which specialized in fruits and vegetables. I was persuaded to become a “general” by the first secretary of the regional party committee Zolotukhin and the chairman of the regional executive committee Medunov, who specially came to my farm. “Let’s better remain just the director of the state farm,” I tell them. And Zolotukhin answered me: “But you don’t know what kind of fool they will send you as a leader!” What can I say?! But I achieved at the Ministry that, in addition to the duties of the general director, I also retained the position of director of the state farm.
- The main directions in your work then were increasing productivity and new technologies. How did it happen that the fame of Dagomy tea growers thundered throughout the world?
- For the first time, we introduced irrigation into the process of growing tea and raised water to a height of 300 meters. The plant itself gave a signal when to turn on the irrigation system. Full automation! We were even awarded special certificates and medals from the World Irrigation Congress, and our experience began to be noticeably applied in other countries. I made a special trip to Kenya. The introduction of small-scale mechanization is our second achievement. We designed our own manual tea picking machines: easier than the Japanese ones! Mechanized assembly does not lead to a deterioration in product quality. This is a misconception. You just need to precisely match all the technology to the car. The main thing here is a rhythmic, coordinated process! As a result, we reached 10 thousand tons of Krasnodar tea leaves. And when I started, there were only 2 thousand.

BLACK LINE
The market economy knocked Krasnodarchay off its leadership pedestal. And unexpectedly among the favorites of fortune were “May Tea”, “Orimi Trade”, “Grand”, “Golden Elephant” - companies that started everything almost from scratch. How can this be explained?
- This was due to the misconception of many specialized managers who believed that Krasnodar tea would always enjoy enormous success, and no special efforts would be necessary for this. When the practice of government procurement of tea ceased to exist and market relations appeared, no one began to purchase, for example, Georgian tea. Everyone knew about its low quality. And they preferred Indian, Ceylon - familiar and well-established brands. In other words, the time for change had come, and everyone had to rebuild. After all, people drink tea no matter what. Russians annually consume about 170 thousand tons of tea (an average of one kilogram per person). Our country ranks third in the world (after China and India) in consumption of this drink. In addition, the equipment at the Dagomys factory was the best in the Soviet Union, capable of processing green leaves using new technologies. Alas, we missed the chance. Today Krasnodar tea is considered uncompetitive.
- And yet they grow it?
- They grow it. Although in the soil and climatic conditions of India, Ceylon, and Vietnam, this problem is much easier to solve than here. And the difference in wages in India and Russia is large. In India, tea growers receive much less for their work. But understand that the Sochi subtropics with their tea, tangerines, oranges, lemons, feijoas, persimmons, figs, bay leaves, hazelnuts, medicinal and spicy plants, and a variety of rare flowers are the jewel in the crown of Russia. And “picking out” it for the sake of the market or the market situation is stupidity! We are not going to serve the whole country with Krasnodar tea. The problem can be formulated differently. The quality of Russian tea is quite high, why not grow its special types, selling at the same price as the famous North Indian Darjeeling tea, which costs from 20-30 to 70 dollars per kilogram. Moreover, the production of elite tea is nothing new for us! At one time, the leadership of the Soviet Union - the government and the Politburo - drank only Krasnodar tea. I know this for sure: I supplied it myself. And when government delegations went to other countries, say, Great Britain, they took our tea with them as a valuable souvenir.

TRIBUTE TO TRADITION
- Your wife, Larisa Eduardovna, also made a big contribution to the creation of the famous “Tea Houses”...
- Yes, it’s been twenty years since she died... Possessing good taste, she put her whole soul into this work, independently developed the design, thought through every little detail. There were three houses. The first is small, the second is large, with a veranda and a beautiful
collection of samovars (one of the best in the Soviet Union!), the third is the largest, delivered in 1972. This house was built by a family of Hutsuls from Western Ukraine - noble craftsmen who built a camp site in Rakhiv and a restaurant in the Carpathian region. Almost everything is made by hand: wood carvings and exhibits of Russian folk crafts. Our “Tea Houses”, built in the mountains at 600 meters above sea level and with a beautiful view of the vast expanse of the sea, the majestic silhouette of the Main Caucasus Range, were a great success. More than one hundred thousand foreign tourists vacationing in Sochi visited each year. The guests were greeted by girls dressed in ancient Russian clothes, given tea, and treated to pies, jam, honey, and fruit. But first we had an introductory tour, which included a tour of a tea plantation and a museum of samovars.
- For ten years now you have been heading the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers. What was the purpose of its creation?
- Coordination of efforts in resolving common issues in the areas of tax and customs policy, control over product quality... What is the problem of falsification worth? It’s impossible for every small company or store to go to the government with these concerns. Therefore, a group of large entrepreneurs involved in tea in Russia came to the decision that it was time to unite. Following the example of confectioners, sugar workers, tobacco workers. And the first thing we achieved was the right to bear the name “Russian Association,” which immediately makes us closer to the government and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. We stood up to defend the Russian tea producer. In 1997, more than 70% of tea came to Russia from abroad in packaged form. And our factories packaged less than 30%. Here voices began to sound that we have the power, how long can we stand idle?! Instead of finished products, it is necessary to receive raw materials, and packaging should be done on site. This makes it easier to control the quality of tea products. Moreover, packaging implies the development of printing, the cardboard industry, the production of cans, and the creation of tens of thousands of additional jobs! Plus taxes that remain in our country. To limit the influx of packaged tea into the country, our association achieved changes in customs duties: 5% was established on raw materials, and 20% on packaged goods. And today more than 70% of tea is packaged in Russian factories!

In 2001, “Roschai” turned into “Roschaykofe”. On whose initiative?
- On the initiative of manufacturing companies of both tea and coffee: “Orimi Trade”, “May Tea”, “Grand Trading House” and others. We are only taking the first steps towards creating a Russian coffee industry and are moving in the right direction, and this infuriates our foreign rivals. They see results in tea. The moment we stopped receiving tea from Georgia, foreign companies immediately bombarded us with it, and now we are holding back their onslaught.
- As a tea fan, it always seemed to me that these two drinks were antagonists.
- This is wrong. Tea and coffee are different botanically. But the basis of the effect of these drinks on the human body is caffeine. There are natural and climatic similarities in the places where they grow. Another thing is traditions: if tea has taken root in Russia and England, then in Europe they prefer coffee. As for competition, it exists within both the tea and coffee markets. Previously, no one drank instant coffee, but now, in the age of speed, speed of preparation has become a priority: throw in a spoonful of coffee, add boiling water, stir - and you're done! It's the same with tea. Once upon a time it was brewed only in teapots. The main thing that, in my opinion, unites these natural drinks is the challenge they pose to alcohol, drugs, as well as chemical analogues such as Coca-Cola. The more tea houses there were in Rus', the fewer alcoholics there were. It’s a pity that now when promoting tea, the emphasis is primarily on its healing properties, which is more attractive to older people. But tea is suitable for all ages! True, in my opinion, young people should not get too carried away with bags. The bag is temporary (like instant coffee). It is for those who “are in a hurry to live and in a hurry to feel.” Traditional tea drinking is akin to an art that stands above vanity.

Do your children drink tea?
- Certainly! And not just children. I have three daughters, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren - my main wealth!
- Ustim Genrikhovich, I can’t help but ask how you, Honorary Citizen of Sochi, took the news of the change in the status of the city related to the Winter Olympics?
- With joy. In 2014 I will turn 94 years old... During my life I have visited 79 countries of the world. And I can declare with full responsibility that now Sochi, not in words, but in deeds, is becoming a resort of international level. From a Winter Olympics perspective, this is doing everything right. But agriculture is going through hard times. Tea plantations are in dire condition. Therefore, as an agronomist, I must say that Sochi is far behind in this matter. Of course, everything can be corrected if there is a desire. But the desire, apparently, is still very small... If something can be proven by deeds, then there is no need to waste words on it.

Shteiman Ustim Genrikhovich - general director of the company "Krasnodar Tea", Sochi. Born on February 23, 1920 in the city of Berdichev, Zhitomir region of Ukraine. In 1935 he entered the Teachers' Institute, Faculty of Biology. The war did not allow me to finish my studies. In June 1941, without passing his final exams, he volunteered to go to the front. He served throughout the war in the mountain rifle units of the internal troops of the NKVD. He received baptism of fire in the North Caucasus in September 1942. At the Marukh Pass he fought with the Alpine riflemen of the Edelweiss division. Participated in other special operations. For military services he was awarded two orders and medals. In the spring of 1946, he was transferred to the reserve with the rank of lieutenant. In 1947 he entered the Moscow Order of Lenin Agricultural Academy. K.A. Timiryazev. He was a Michurin scholarship recipient and graduated from the academy with honors. He refused graduate school and asked to work in production. Received assignment to the Krasnodar region. In 1952, he began working at the Dagomys tea state farm as a department manager. In 1957 he was appointed chief agronomist of the state farm, and in 1963 - director. In 1972, after the formation of the Krasnodar Tea company, which united tea state farms and tea factories in the Adler, Khostinsky and Lazarevsky districts of Sochi, he became its general director and, at the same time, remained the director of the head tea state farm "Dagomyssky". By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 7 1973 for the great successes achieved in the All-Union socialist competition and the demonstrated labor valor in fulfilling the obligations assumed to increase the production and sale of grain and other agricultural products to the state in 1973, Ustim Genrikhovich Shteiman was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and a gold medal " Hammer and sickle". Shteiman worked as general director of the Krasnodar Tea company for 11 years - until 1983. During the same period, under the leadership of Shteiman U.G. Bulk transportation of green tea leaves, automatic irrigation of tea plantations, the use of small-scale mechanization in the collection of tea leaves and molding of tea plantations were introduced. Hundreds of hectares of plantations of subtropical crops were established, and the Dagomys and Adler tea factories were modernized. As a result, tea state farms and processing factories achieved the highest results, the production of green tea leaves in the head tea state farm alone exceeded 4,000 tons, and the entire team of the company reached 10 thousand tons of Krasnodar tea leaves. The creation of the unique brand “Krasnodar Tea” is associated with the name of Sheiman. Later he was an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the USSR. Since 1998 - President of the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers (Roschaykofe). Honored Agronomist of the Russian Federation (1965). Honorary citizen of the city of Sochi (2007) Lives in Moscow. Awarded three Orders of Lanin, two Orders of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, Orders of Friendship of Peoples, Red Star, medals, including “For Military Merit” and “For Courage.”

Shteiman Ustim Genrikhovich - General Director of the company "Krasnodar Tea", the city of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory.

Born on February 23, 1920 in the city of Berdichev, Berdichev district, Kyiv province of the Ukrainian SSR, now the Zhitomir region of Ukraine. Jew. In 1935 he entered the Teachers' Institute, Faculty of Biology. The war did not allow me to finish my studies.

In June 1941, without passing his final exams, he volunteered to go to the front. He served throughout the war in the mountain rifle units of the internal troops of the NKVD. He received baptism of fire in the North Caucasus in September 1942. At the Marukh Pass he fought with the Alpine riflemen of the Edelweiss division. Participated in other special operations. For military services he was awarded two orders and medals. In the spring of 1946, he was transferred to the reserve with the rank of lieutenant.

In 1947, he entered the Moscow Order of Lenin Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev. He was a Michurin scholarship recipient and graduated from the academy with honors. He refused graduate school and asked to work in production. Received assignment to the Krasnodar region.

In 1952, he began working at the Dagomys tea state farm as a department manager. In 1957 he was appointed chief agronomist of the state farm, and in 1963 - director. In 1972, after the formation of the Krasnodar Tea company, which united tea state farms and tea factories in the Adler, Khostinsky and Lazarevsky districts of Sochi, he became its general director and at the same time remained the director of the head tea state farm "Dagomyssky".

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 7, 1973, for the great successes achieved in the All-Union Socialist Competition and the demonstrated labor valor in fulfilling the obligations assumed to increase the production and sale of grain and other agricultural products to the state in 1973 Shteiman Ustim Genrikhovich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

Shteiman worked as general director of the Krasnodar Tea company for 11 years - until 1983. During the same period, under his leadership, bulk transportation of green tea leaves, automatic irrigation of tea plantations, the use of small-scale mechanization in the collection of tea leaves and molding of tea plantations were introduced. Hundreds of hectares of plantations of subtropical crops were established, and the Dagomys and Adler tea factories were modernized. As a result, tea state farms and processing factories achieved the highest results, the production of green tea leaves in the head tea state farm alone exceeded 4,000 tons, and the entire team of the company reached 10 thousand tons of Krasnodar tea leaves. The creation of the unique brand “Krasnodar Tea” is associated with the name of Shteiman.

Later he was an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the USSR. Since 1998 - President of the Russian Association of Tea and Coffee Producers (Roschaykofe).

Honored Agronomist of the RSFSR (1965). Honorary citizen of the city of Sochi (2007).

Awarded 3 Orders of Lenin (04/30/1966; 04/08/1971; 12/07/1973), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree (..., 03/11/1985), Orders of Friendship of Peoples (03/13/1981), Red Star, medals, including “For Courage”, “For Military Merit”.