And yet a bear! 7 ideas and products from Russia that are successfully sold abroad

1. Blasters from Smolensk

It all started when Sergei Tereshchenkov, a resident of Smolensk, saw people with blasters in the forest who were merrily playing laser tag. Sergey decided that this was a great business foundation, and together with his twin brother, he started the production of equipment for a safe alternative to paintball. The niche had to be created by ourselves: before the Smolensk brothers in Russia, no one produced blasters and vests for the game. And laser tag itself was not widespread, so I had to invest in the development of a fashion for strategic catch-up.

Now the products of Lasertag LLC are popular in Russia and are actively supplied abroad - more than 70% are exported. The list of foreign clients of the enterprise includes 83 points: Smolensk equipment is played in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada and even in the homeland of a laser shooter - in the USA. In 2021, Lasertag LLC became a laureate of the Exporter of the Year award in the field of high technologies among small and medium-sized businesses.

2. Ice cream from Kupino

Russian ice cream is eaten with pleasure in the USA, China, Mongolia, Germany and other countries. In 2019, the dessert took part in the development of diplomatic relations: the President of Russia presented a Russian popsicle for the birthday of the Chinese leader. And in 2020, ice cream from Kupino, a town in the Novosibirsk region, came under the attention of the press. The Kupinskoe Ice Cream Company was recognized as the “Breakthrough of the Year” at the regional stage of the “Exporter of the Year”.

The founders of the enterprise focused on Siberia and were not mistaken: this region is of particular interest to foreigners. "Kupinskoe ice cream" is actively bought in Kazakhstan and Belarus, and China ordered the Novosibirsk dessert even during the pandemic. The company is known for its original assortment: the line includes bio-ice cream with probiotics and desserts with May dandelion jam. The products won the Grand Prix at WorldFood Moscow 2020.

3. Aerosols from Stavropol

The Arnest company produces cosmetics, household chemicals and aerosol disinfectants. The infographics on the company's website say that every second aerosol can in Russia was produced under different Arnesta brands. But a high interest in Stavropol aerosols is also shown abroad: products are supplied to Austria, Indonesia, the countries of South America, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Many products are manufactured according to technologies and with the help of the fragrances of partner factories, and among them are international giant companies.

Arnest has a wide shelf of achievements, among others - a victory at the "Product of the Year - 2020" award, first place at the "Exporter of the Year - 2021 "in the category" New Geography "for large business and the second in the category" Exporter of the Year in the industry ". Even before the pandemic began in 2019, the company's export volume reachedTASS 12%.

4. Watch mechanisms from St. Petersburg

The history of the Raketa watch factory began even under Peter I - the Peterhof factory was founded by the emperor himself. The marble structures for St. Isaac's Cathedral were made here. In 1945, the Pobeda watch brand appeared here, and in 1961 - Raketa, in honor of the watches that have been in space. However, the 300-year-old plant does not live up to its former glory, but is still successfully operating.

In 2017, St. Petersburg craftsmen again released watches for space flights, together with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev. A few years earlier, they created the world's largest watch mechanism - a mechanical watch in the Moscow Central Children's Store. They weigh 4.5 tons, are 7 meters high and consist of 5,000 parts. This record served as an argument for the involvement of "Rocket" when the French authorities were faced with the restoration of their main cathedral. The St. Petersburg plant will help the French association Horloge Notre-Dame to recreate the clockwork of Notre Dame Cathedral and will develop details for the new masterpiece.

5. Sapphires from Stavropol

Monocrystal is the world leader in the sapphire growing and processing market. This stone is the second hardest after diamond and has excellent optical properties. Therefore, synthetic sapphires are mainly used by jewelers and manufacturers of smartphones, televisions, armored glass, microcircuits and LED devices. Stavropol residents have a lot to be proud of in this industry. In 2015, Monocrystal employees presented the world's first sapphire crystal with a record weight of 300 kg.

The Stavropol giant has been cooperating with other countries for several years: the company's representative offices in the USA, South Korea and Taiwan were opened in 2011, in 2012 "Monocrystal" launched a plant in China, and the first sapphires went to Europe for more than 20 years back. The most active demand for products is from enterprises producing LEDs and solar cells in China, Germany, Malaysia, South Korea, the USA, Japan and two dozen other countries. Monocrystal sapphires were also used in Apple devices - in glasses for smart watches.

6. Wooden glasses from Krasnoyarsk

Fedor Smirnov, one of the founders of the Brevno brand, worked as a radio engineer, manager and marketer. Another, Artyom Korovin, worked as an architect. Having united, the startups launched their eco-brand and began to produce wooden glasses - yes, in the snow-covered Siberian region. Now they are sold in more than 20 stores in Europe.

On the way to success, I had to collect glasses in the office of friends, in the kitchen, in the garage - rather than the Russian version of the story of Jeff Bezos. The brand is especially proud of the technology, thanks to which frames made of natural wood weigh only 44 to 53 grams. It takes about 30 hours to make one pair. Musicians from Limp Bizkit, SunSay and Die Antwoord have their own Brevno glasses. The company is focused on the international market and attends the largest optical exhibitions in Europe. The founders managed to travel to Milan, Munich and London and take part in a show at Paris Fashion Week. And everywhere Brevno products are presented under the proud slogan Made in Siberia.

7. Fabulous heroes from Moscow

"Masha and the Bear" is a YouTube phenomenon that has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most popular animated video. The episode "Masha Plus Porridge" now has nearly 4.5 billion views. The episode was released in 2012, but still ranks seventh in the top 100 most watched videos on YouTube. However, Masha and the Bear conquered not only the Internet, but the whole world.

The cartoon has been translated into 30 languages. In Saudi Arabia, a Masha doll is given to girls for the holidays, and in Italy, children eat food with cartoon characters on the packaging. Since 2013, Masha and the Bear has been broadcast on television in Germany and Turkey, and even on Netflix you can see a fidget from Russia. The product has become incredibly popular, despite the fact that it is maximally tailored for the Russian audience. Millions of children in other countries, perhaps, first saw the samovar and the earflaps thanks to the Moscow studio "Animaccord".