Confectionery company A. I. Abrikosov & Sons

V. Serov. Portrait of A.I. Abrikosov. 1895 year
V. Serov. Portrait of A.I. Abrikosov. 1895 year

How the serfs Abrikosovs became the pastry kings of pre-revolutionary Russia

Candies with inserts and small toys hidden in sweets, chocolate hares and Santa Clauses in foil – all these childhood joys were invented in the 19th century by a talented person and a uniquely successful businessman, the “gummy king” of Russia Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov.

Pastila of the A.I. Abrikosova
Marshmallow from the confectionery factory A.I. Abrikosov & sons

His children, who inherited their father’s business, were less fortunate. By 1841, they went bankrupt, property went under the hammer for debts, and one of the sons of a failed businessman, Alexei, was forced to interrupt his education. The young man, promising and dreamed of a university, left the Practical Academy of Commercial Sciences and went to work in the office of a sugar supplier he knew. However, the future famous merchant did not despair. Carrying out the small work of a messenger and gatekeeper, he gradually rose to the rank of accountant and at the same time learned all the intricacies of doing business. Five years later, he decided to start his own business, and the owner even helped him with a loan for the first pastry shop.

Chocolate Factory
Confectionery factory of the Abrikosovs

The young man, moreover, married surprisingly well. His chosen one, Agrippina Alekseevna Musatova, was the daughter of a tobacco manufacturer. She not only brought her husband five thousand rubles of a dowry, but also became a real support in life. This amazing woman gave birth to 22 children, of which 17 grew up, all graduated, and many became real stars. It would seem that this is quite enough for one person, but Agrippina Alekseevna remained in history as a patron, organizer and guardian of the maternity hospital in Moscow, which still bears her name (Maternity hospital No. 6 named after A. A. Abrikosova).

Confectionery company A. I. Abrikosov & Sons became successful

Meanwhile, the young businessman’s business was growing. From a small pastry shop, he gradually turned into a real empire. Fifty years later, by the end of the 19th century, the “company A. I. Abrikosov & Sons” was one of the three largest Russian confectionery enterprises. In addition to the factory in Moscow, it included a network of branded retail stores, wholesale warehouses in both capitals and at major fairs, a branch of the factory and a sugar factory in Simferopol, a box and packaging plant. Success in this difficult niche, in which the young Abrikosov immediately met many competitors, is mainly explained by his personal qualities.

Confectionery company
Chocolate Candy Wrappers

Another reason for the success was the competent use of advertising and, as they would say today, a creative approach. It was Abrikosov who first came up with the idea of ​​putting small postcards, puzzles and other surprises into chocolates (the kinders, like today, were delighted with this). He is also called the author of chocolate bunnies in bright foil – such sweet toys were even collected, they were so beautiful. And, finally, there are still beloved by Russians candies “Hussies’ pads”. In addition to the unique recipe, exactly half of the sweets’ success is associated with an unusual name. Unusual, but customers liked it.

Company advertisement

Advertising list of the confectionery company Abrikosovs & Sons
Advertising list of the confectionery company Abrikosovs & Sons

And examples of Abrikosov’s promotions today can decorate textbooks on marketing. For example, before the new year 1880, a report appeared in the newspapers that only blondes worked as saleswomen in one store in Abrikosov, and only brunettes in another. Of course, Muscovites rushed to check whether this was really so, at the same time buying delicacies for the holiday.

 

company A. I. Abrikosov & Sons company A. I. Abrikosov & Sons

Pastila of the A.I. Abrikosova
Pastila of the A.I. Abrikosov

Sweets of the Abrikosov Company
Sweets of the Abrikosov Company
Sweets of the Abrikosov Company
vanilla chocolate of the Abrikosov Company
Sweets in a tin can from the Abrikosov Company
Sweets in a tin can from the Abrikosov Company

Abricosov's house

View of A. Suvorin's publishing house and the A.I. Abrikosov and Sons on Nevsky Prospect. St. Petersburg. 1901 year
View of A. Suvorin’s publishing house and the A.I. Abrikosov and Sons on Nevsky Prospect. St. Petersburg. 1901 year
Alexey Ivanovich Abrikosov. 1897 year
Alexey Ivanovich Abrikosov. 1897 year
Alexey Ivanovich Abrikosov with granddaughters
Alexey Ivanovich Abrikosov with granddaughters

Apricosov chocolate factory Konditerskaya kompaniya Abrikosovykh Kak krepostnyye Abrikosovy stali konditerskimi korolyami dorevolyutsionnoy Rossii Konfety «Gusinyye lapki», vkladyshi i malen'kiye igrushki, spryatannyye v sladostyakh, shokoladnyye zaytsy i dedy morozy v fol'ge – vse eti detskiye radosti v XIX veke pridumal talantliveyshiy chelovek i unikal'no udachlivyy delets, «marmeladnyy korol'» Rossii Aleksey Ivanovich Abrikosov. Yego detyam, unasledovavshim ottsovskiy biznes, povezlo men'she. K 1841 godu oni razorilis', imushchestvo ushlo s molotka za dolgi, a odin iz synovey neudavshegosya biznesmena Aleksey byl vynuzhden prervat' obrazovaniye. Molodoy chelovek, podayushchiy blestyashchiye nadezhdy i mechtavshiy ob universitete, pokinul Prakticheskuyu akademiyu kommercheskikh nauk i otpravilsya rabotat' v kontoru znakomogo postavshchika sakhara. Odnako budushchiy znamenityy kupets ne otchayalsya. Vypolnyaya melkuyu rabotu posyl'nogo i privratnika, on postepenno dosluzhilsya do bukhgaltera i zaodno izuchil vse tonkosti vedeniya biznesa. Uzhe cherez pyat' let on reshil nachat' sobstvennoye delo, i khozyain dazhe pomog yemu s kreditom na pervuyu konditerskuyu. Molodoy chelovek k tomu zhe udivitel'no udachno zhenilsya. Yego izbrannitsa, Agrippina Alekseyevna Musatova, byla docher'yu tabachnogo fabrikanta. Ona ne tol'ko prinesla muzhu pyat' tysyach rubley pridanogo, no i stala nastoyashchey oporoy v zhizni. Eta udivitel'naya zhenshchina rodila 22 rebenka, iz kotorykh 17 vyrosli, vse poluchili vyssheye obrazovaniye, i mnogiye stali nastoyashchimi zvezdami. Kazalos' by, chto etogo vpolne dostatochno dlya odnogo cheloveka, no Agrippina Alekseyevna ostalas' v istorii yeshche i kak metsenat, organizator i popechitel' rodil'nogo doma v Moskve, kotoryy do sikh por nosit yeye imya (Rodil'nyy dom № 6 imeni A. A. Abrikosovoy). Tem vremenem biznes molodogo biznesmena razrastalsya. Ot nebol'shoy konditerskoy on postepenno prevratilsya v nastoyashchuyu imperiyu. Cherez pyat'desyat let, k kontsu XIX veka, «Tovarishchestvo A. I. Abrikosova synovey» vkhodilo v troyku krupneyshikh rossiyskikh konditerskikh predpriyatiy. Krome fabriki v Moskve ono vklyuchalo v sebya set' firmennykh roznichnykh magazinov, optovyye sklady v obeikh stolitsakh i na krupnykh yarmarkakh, filial fabriki i sakharnyy zavod v Simferopole, zavod po proizvodstvu korobok i upakovki. Uspekh v etoy nelegkoy nishe, v kotoroy molodoy Abrikosov srazu vstretil mnozhestvo konkurentov, ob"yasnyayut v osnovnom yego lichnymi kachestvami. Yeshche odnoy prichinoy uspekha bylo gramotnoye ispol'zovaniye reklamy i, kak by segodnya skazali, kreativnyy podkhod. Imenno Abrikosov pervym pridumal vkladyvat' v shokoladki nebol'shiye otkrytki, golovolomki i drugiye syurprizy (kindery, kak i segodnya, byli ot etogo v vostorge). Yeshche yego nazyvayut avtorom shokoladnykh zaytsev v yarkoy fol'ge – takiye sladkiye igrushki dazhe kollektsionirovali, nastol'ko oni byli krasivy. Nu i, nakonets, do sikh por lyubimyye rossiyanami konfety «Gusinyye lapki». Krome unikal'noy retseptury rovno polovinu uspekha konfet svyazyvayut s neobychnym nazvaniyem. Kstati, do sikh por tochno neizvestno, pochemu imenno «gusinnyye lapki». Neobychno, no pokupatelyam ponravilos'. A primery reklamnykh aktsiy Abrikosova i segodnya mogut ukrasit' uchebniki po marketingu. Naprimer, pered novym 1880-m godom v gazetakh poyavilos' soobshcheniye o tom, chto v odnom abrikosovskom magazine prodavshchitsami rabotayut tol'ko blondinki, a v drugom - tol'ko bryunetki. Razumeyetsya, moskvichi brosilis' proveryat', deystvitel'no li eto tak, zaodno zakupaya lakomstva k prazdniku. Ещё 3366 / 5000 Результаты перевода Aprikosov confectionery company Konditerskaya kompaniya Abrikosovykh Kak krepostnyye Abrikosovy stali konditerskimi korolyami dorevolyutsionnoy Rossii Konfety «Gusinyye lapki», vkladyshi i malen'kiye igrushki, spryatannyye v sladostyakh, shokoladnyye zaytsy i dedy morozy v fol'ge – vse eti detskiye radosti v XIX veke pridumal talantliveyshiy chelovek i unikal'no udachlivyy delets, «marmeladnyy korol'» Rossii Aleksey Ivanovich Abrikosov. Yego detyam, unasledovavshim ottsovskiy biznes, povezlo men'she. K 1841 godu oni razorilis', imushchestvo ushlo s molotka za dolgi, a odin iz synovey neudavshegosya biznesmena Aleksey byl vynuzhden prervat' obrazovaniye. Molodoy chelovek, podayushchiy blestyashchiye nadezhdy i mechtavshiy ob universitete, pokinul Prakticheskuyu akademiyu kommercheskikh nauk i otpravilsya rabotat' v kontoru znakomogo postavshchika sakhara. Odnako budushchiy znamenityy kupets ne otchayalsya. Vypolnyaya melkuyu rabotu posyl'nogo i privratnika, on postepenno dosluzhilsya do bukhgaltera i zaodno izuchil vse tonkosti vedeniya biznesa. Uzhe cherez pyat' let on reshil nachat' sobstvennoye delo, i khozyain dazhe pomog yemu s kreditom na pervuyu konditerskuyu. Molodoy chelovek k tomu zhe udivitel'no udachno zhenilsya. Yego izbrannitsa, Agrippina Alekseyevna Musatova, byla docher'yu tabachnogo fabrikanta. Ona ne tol'ko prinesla muzhu pyat' tysyach rubley pridanogo, no i stala nastoyashchey oporoy v zhizni. Eta udivitel'naya zhenshchina rodila 22 rebenka, iz kotorykh 17 vyrosli, vse poluchili vyssheye obrazovaniye, i mnogiye stali nastoyashchimi zvezdami. Kazalos' by, chto etogo vpolne dostatochno dlya odnogo cheloveka, no Agrippina Alekseyevna ostalas' v istorii yeshche i kak metsenat, organizator i popechitel' rodil'nogo doma v Moskve, kotoryy do sikh por nosit yeye imya (Rodil'nyy dom № 6 imeni A. A. Abrikosovoy). Tem vremenem biznes molodogo biznesmena razrastalsya. Ot nebol'shoy konditerskoy on postepenno prevratilsya v nastoyashchuyu imperiyu. Cherez pyat'desyat let, k kontsu XIX veka, «Tovarishchestvo A. I. Abrikosova synovey» vkhodilo v troyku krupneyshikh rossiyskikh konditerskikh predpriyatiy. Krome fabriki v Moskve ono vklyuchalo v sebya set' firmennykh roznichnykh magazinov, optovyye sklady v obeikh stolitsakh i na krupnykh yarmarkakh, filial fabriki i sakharnyy zavod v Simferopole, zavod po proizvodstvu korobok i upakovki. Uspekh v etoy nelegkoy nishe, v kotoroy molodoy Abrikosov srazu vstretil mnozhestvo konkurentov, ob

Confectionery company

Confectionery company

Confectionery factory of the Aprikosovs