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TCM officials may sweeten the deal

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jerome C. Baysmore
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  Officials here have looked into expanding the dining facility menu to include locally-produced goods.

After coordination between the contracting office, dining facility staff and public health, plans are in works to possibly add cookies and other confections from the surrounding community. Officials have approached two local companies-- Schwarzwald (Black Forest) and Tattoo bakeries--to bring TCM a taste of the local fare and help bolster the Kyrgyz economy.

"It's difficult for local producers to survive here because of illegal imports and Kyrgyzstan is a young country and 90 percent live in poverty," said Ms. Asel Torobekova, Tattoo bakery owner. "When they buy, they buy for the prices--not quality.
 
"Our prices and quality are higher here because we use all natural ingredients, and your business gives us hope that we can work together to improve business here."

The Tattoo bakery has been operating in the local area since 1928 and produces cookies, pastries and candy. The company also keeps a trained staff of chocolatiers and is looking for other avenues to improve their wares.

"The doors of our company are always open to you, and we will do our best to meet all our requirements," she added. "It's been great getting to know you, and we look forward to having a good future with you and our friendship."

Representatives from the TCM have been working the last eight months to assist the two companies with complying to meet western food service standards. Officials from the expeditionary force support squadron food service, expeditionary contracting squadron and expeditionary medical group have offered suggestions and conducted preliminary health inspections in order to open the doors for further business.

"There's been a quick turnaround--they've invested their own money to make a lot of facility improvements based on the suggestions that we made," said Maj. Robert Martin, 376th EMDG public health officer. "We've worked with them to increase the sanitation level and in turn made their quality higher. This shows their willingness to cooperate with us; meet the standards.

"It's been great because they jumped on the bandwagon--we're working together to make it better."

Mr. Klaus Lehrke, local financial manager and Schwarzwald Bakery, proprietor and his wife Aidai agreed. Mr. Lehrke said he'd been working as a financier in Kyrgyzstan for the last five years, but their bakery business venture started in June 2010 shortly after Aidai returned from six-month bakery internship in Germany. They're also looking forward to working with the TCM and further strengthen local business.

"It would help us tremendously, kick up our production and drive our costs down because we're importing our ingredients directly from Germany," he said. "This would also make us more profitable and sustainable enough to offer more jobs to locals.
"We're very happy, and we see our enterprise as part of country development because the jobs will also contribute to overall development of this area.

"The TCM does a good job over there," he concluded. "We're just hoping to help through good food and cakes to give the troops a little bit of home."