History of a milk bottle: the USSR and the Russian Federation

Источник: The DairyNews
Dairy products (milk, kefir, cream, etc.) have been widely sold in glass containers since about the early 1960s. Almost until the end of the 90s there was a widespread production of dairy products in glass containers of 0.5 liters in the regions of the Russian Federation. Today the leaders of packaging of dairy products in Russia are cardboard and plastic. However, the history of the milk bottle in the USSR began in the 19th century.

Pasteurized milk in bottles was first produced in Russia in 1899 by the efforts of Russian merchants and manufacturers – brothers Vladimir and Nikolay Blandov. In 1910 the Blandovs began to produce kefir in bottles as well, but the container got accustomed with difficulty - it was believed that Russia was not England - the milk bottle could be stolen off the doorstep.

At the same time the manufacturer Alexander Chichkin developed sale of dairy products in a tin container, meanwhile buyers preferred cans and milk jars.

In historical chronicles it is written that in the 20s of the last century kefir and milk were produced in glass bottles in the South of Russia and in the Caucasus.

The state standard GOST 15844-80 regulated the production of milk glass containers in the USSR. However, some republics of the Union had their own standards.

In the USSR, most dairy products were closed not with a glass or wooden lid (unlike the American ones), but with metal foil.

The pre-war bottles had the following inscription: "Narkompischeprom USSR. Glavmoloko". In liter bottles there was sold mostly milk, and other dairy products (occasionally liter bottles were also used for them) were sold in half-liter bottles, at the same time for quick identification there were used metal foil caps of different colors:

  • silver for milk;

  • green for kefir;

  • yellow-silver striped for cream;

  • light green-silver striped for low-fat kefir;

  • gold for fermented baked milk;

  • dark yellow for baked milk;

  • light brown for chocolate milk;

  • dark purple for acidophilin;

  • lilac for cream;

  • blue for honey kefir drink "Kolomensky".

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 There were also 0.2 liter bottles, which were filled with dairy products of higher density: - high fat cream (yellow metal foil);

  • sour cream (orange metal foil);

  • varenets (violet-silver striped metal foil);

  • Mechnikov curdled milk (pink metal foil);

  • condensed milk (red metal foil).

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In connection with the adopted planned system of economy in the republics of the Union there was developed the practice of widespread use of standardized glass containers for a variety of needs and purposes. This was partly due to the fact that the planned system of the economy provided for a relatively small number of glass factories (with objectively high demand for glass), and reasonably considered irrational expenditure of significant energy, material and labor costs for the manufacture of non-standard glass, including the inevitable melting of used glass compared with its washing during secondary use.

A separate circulation of milk glass took place in dairy kitchens - it's about bottles with products for baby food, they were closed with a tin lid and had a measuring scale on the bottle itself.

The package of products of TM “Mozhaiskoe” was different from most milk bottles - this milk was sold in clogged with metal lid bottles of a special type, reminding wine bottles, with a capacity of 0.5 liters.

At present CJSC “Mozhaysky” plant of the sterilized milk” is the unique enterprise in Russia which produces sterilized milk in glass bottles. Its history dates back to 1963 and the product itself is closely connected with the production of beer glass containers - beer bottles can stand the production process of the product, which includes double sterilization.

So far, Mozhaisky plant is the largest producer of milk in glass containers in Russia - more than half of the products the company sells in Moscow region, but there is local production of milk in a glass bottle everywhere in the regions.

It should be noted that in the USSR a huge number of milk bottles were produced by the Urshelsky plant in Vladimir region - this enterprise, founded in 1858, was liquidated in 2004.

In addition, the production was carried out by the plant of Sazonov (Vologda region), Tambov glass factory, by the plant named after Gorky - on the basis of this and a number of other enterprises in the late 40-ies there was created Association of Fiberglass, later transformed into the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of fiberglass and fiberglass plastic.

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LLC “Lensky factory of dairy products”

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LLC Edelweiss, Lunino village, Yaroslavl region.

Read full article in Russian on © DairyNews.ru

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