It is time to visit Russia, more specifically Perm which is located on the slopes of the Urals and is considered the last city in Europe. While the whole world is sure that Europe ends in Perm, its inhabitants are convinced of the opposite: Europe is just beginning here. A mixture of ethnics and different somatic traits, contrasted traditions. Perm, place of refuge of Tsar Michail Romanov, an inspiration for Pasternak in his Doctor Zhivago where Perm hides behind the name of the city Jurjatin and also place of the Soviet gulags, is unique in its style and history. Čechov defined Perm very boring and too hot in summer, we defined it as fascinating, almost addictive and in the middle of two contrasting Europe. Perm was a very important industrial center in the past. According to local legend, the inhabitants of the Russian city of Perm had salty ears. Being an industrial capital near some of the largest metal and salt mines, it was said that the workers had taken to Perm so many bags of salt behind them that a salty layer had stuck to their skin. However, for some years the city has been striving to get rid of this image of industrial capital of Russia to obtain a new recognition: to be the capital of culture. But we ask ourselves, can a powerful industrial city, full of factories and forests, become the brilliant capital of literature, music and contemporary art? The inhabitants of Perm are sure of their strengths and their cultural heritage, so they use all their skills to achieve this goal. They proudly exhibit their wooden gods or bronze medallions in "animal style", claiming their indigenous ancestry. We also toured the city with an illustrious guide, the collaborator of the University of Perm, Alexander Shchepetkov, a wise geographer and a lover of Soviet architecture and literature, an art enthusiast in all its manifestations, a a multifaceted man, so brilliant that we were completely spellbound by his stories, so much that we do not want to end this wonderful journey together. We discover the city until its secrets and more recondite anecdotes, wanting to get lost in so much culture and mystery.
Natalya Troyanova, Manager of Semya supermarket chains, gave us a unique opportunity, the possibility of knowing the city and its origins, and after this inexplicable journey, Natalya took us to visit Semya's largest supermarkets, in different parts of Perm. We were speechless when we noticed that every 400 meters there was a Semya supermarket, almost all open 24 hours. We were also impressed to see that this so young Manager, directed a special affection and helped us impeccably in our visits and master class with an innate sweetness and passion for her extraordinary job. The role of Manager Galina Aristova was the most fundamental. She was like the director of a concert that takes place in a wonderful theater, she marked the times and the duration of our explanations, due to our busy schedule. A determined, pragmatic woman who did not stay calm until she heard the last word of our presentation, only at that moment she relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Our presence was important for the formation of the team of store managers about the cava culture, its origin, its elaboration process our regulatory regulations and our classifications, in comparison from the point of view of elaborating other products like the Schaumweine of Germany and the Prosecco. Russians are always curious, always well informed and previously ready for all situations. Russia is a country where culture is a central component in the lives of people, you only need to see the amount of theaters and museums frequented by schools with very young children.
We carried out our presentations using our audiovisual materials, our power point presentations and …a lot of fun and empathy with the audience of participants. Semya is a reference, We would almost say a lifestyle. People walk through the streets with ecological bags of straws, as if they feel represented by the philosophy of this enterprise. The sales team works with many promotions, taking care of the range of products up to the last detail.
As regards the promotion of wines and cavas, they dispose of an online list. The sommelier and expert Evgenij Sazonov together with Yulia Shipiguzova deals with the most important decision: to choose wines. The option of having the online letter is not at all banal. Consumers are between 23 and 50 years old and very often use their mobile phones and computers, so they prefer to rely on technology, avoiding paper abuse and having less impact on the environment and avoiding the incentive to alcohol consumption at all times. The most successful cava for the clients, according to a market study, turn out to be our semi dry Lacrima Baccus (women adore the sweet aromas), Heretat de Lacrima Baccus and Summum brut and in all the stores, they are ALWAYS on the front line, with a good visibility, reason of pride for our winery. Following our program, we visited, with much encouragement in the heart and little in the body, due to the -8 degrees, two restaurants of high standard of the city which are called Chin chin and Gastroport, two MUST of the city. The attendees to our presentations left the restaurants with very good feelings and, above all, with happy memories of our visit. This trip in a city perhaps forgotten by tourists, has opened our eyes about the different facets of Russia, about its inhabitants, great lovers of bubbles and about its expansive and warm behavior, the opposite of the typical Russian climate, very cold and penetrating. We cannot wait so long, we would like to come back very soon and describe more.
