Ice cream company goes digital in Armenia

Based mostly in Yerevan, Armenia, Pink Berry specialises within the manufacturing of soppy serve and packaged ice cream. Based in 2017 and identified for its vibrant branding and distinctive flavour combos, the enterprise has develop into a market chief within the nation.

With assist from the EBRD’s Ladies in Enterprise programme and the Swedish Worldwide Improvement Cooperation Company (SIDA), Pink Berry sought to introduce a raft of digital options to extend automation and streamline processes. This has allowed the corporate to function extra effectively, enhance the standard of its merchandise and supply a greater service for purchasers at its boutique cafes.

The foundations of an aspiring entrepreneur

Pink Berry has uncommon origins: co-founder and CEO Ani Gyazaryan’s path to entrepreneurship was atypical, but unsurprising to these round her.

Following college, Ani studied worldwide relations to Grasp’s degree earlier than pursuing a profession within the banking sector for six years. Her skilled success and a burning want to do one thing extra artistic and entrepreneurial had been pushing her in two very totally different instructions. Finally, the latter received out and sparked the muse of a viable enterprise and her transfer away from banking. It was a threat ­– however one which has clearly paid off.

Pink Berry began as a ardour undertaking by Ani and her husband Levon, developed for his or her eldest son Davit, whose love for ice cream impressed them to create a variety of scrumptious do-it-yourself flavours to compete with the odd business choices on the time. They rapidly mastered the method and realised that it may develop into a possible enterprise enterprise when household, pals and acquaintances advised them how good their merchandise had been. The couple took the leap, scaling up manufacturing in earnest as they sought to ascertain the enterprise within the market.

The corporate stands out for its artistic method to flavour growth, playful branding, sustainable packaging and dedication to top quality, distinctive and scrumptious ice cream that dictates tendencies out there. Certainly, wild berry, and mango and fervour fruit have develop into the most well-liked flavours within the nation, and had been launched by Pink Berry to the native inhabitants.

EBRD assist for enterprise growth and digitalisation

As Pink Berry started to see every day development and elevated gross sales, points associated to enterprise administration throughout the firm elevated exponentially. That is the place the EBRD’s Ladies in Enterprise programme and SIDA got here in.

“The digitalisation programmes we undertook by way of the EBRD have had a considerable impression, serving to our enterprise administration processes and oversight develop into extra streamlined, productive and environment friendly. They helped us create new packaging and enhance gross sales by way of promoting campaigns, and supplied recommendation on monetary optimisation,” says Ani.

These enhancements allowed the enterprise to deal with rising and delivering on its environmental targets, with a stronger emphasis positioned on the inexperienced economic system throughout the firm.

Certainly, Pink Berry produces all its new ice lotions in eco-friendly paper packaging, and manufacturing is optimised to restrict waste wherever potential. Any paper waste is recycled, and meals scraps are donated to charity, so the corporate is doing its bit to restrict its impression on the atmosphere and develop into extra sustainable.

A rosy future

Pink Berry recognises the worth of its workers, inserting a excessive diploma of deal with making certain that workers develop alongside the enterprise. To Ani, her workers are crucial useful resource underlying sustainable enterprise growth.

“We continually put money into human sources, in search of out high-level expertise and nurturing present potential by way of skilled qualification alternatives,” Ani explains. “We’ve aggressive salaries, open motivational programmes and common team-building periods. That is why we now have such a younger, loyal and powerful group. A workforce the place everyone seems to be equally valued, with out discrimination.”

This sense of unity has helped the enterprise thrive, overcoming many financial headwinds and exterior challenges since its formation in 2017. At current, Pink Berry has about 150 workers, with plans to double that quantity in 2023. With the latest development, the corporate has adjusted its rapid and long-term targets in tandem, because it plans for growth.

“Because of franchising partnerships, Pink Berry’s gross sales factors are growing and we wish to proceed to ascertain these and our ice cream boutiques all through Armenia,” says Ani. “We additionally wish to establish export alternatives and seize new markets. Domestically, our ambition is to proceed growing our market share and enhance on our present market place by way of innovation, product growth and constructing on present model consciousness.”

The within scoop is that Ani and her workforce are in a robust place to realize these targets and disrupt their competitors within the native market and past!