How Easy2Cook Transformed a Ready Meal Retail Network Through Centralized Factory Kitchen Production

This project represents a full turnkey implementation of a centralized factory kitchen in southern Kazakhstan, delivered by Easy2Cook with Fedor Sokirianskii acting as the lead food technologist and project architect. The objective was to centralize and redesign production for an existing network of Ready Meal Stores operating in a format comparable to Marks & Spencer Food Halls and Tesco culinary departments.

At the start of the project, the client already operated approximately twelve large culinary markets and ready meal stores. These locations functioned with decentralized production, high labor dependency, inconsistent quality, and limited scalability. The strategic goal was not merely to build a factory kitchen, but to fundamentally transform the operating model of the entire network.

The core objectives included increasing production productivity, improving and stabilizing food quality, reducing raw material and packaging procurement costs, strengthening management transparency, and achieving full compliance with international food safety standards including ISO 22000 and HACCP. Additionally, the project needed to be implemented within a dense urban environment with strict sanitary and logistical constraints.

A production facility of approximately 2,000 square meters was acquired in the basement of a residential building located in a densely populated district. Adjacent to the facility stood the city’s largest central mosque, attracting large daily flows of visitors and significant crowds during religious holidays. On the ground floor of the same building, the network’s flagship Ready Meal Store was located, creating a direct logistical and commercial link between production and retail.

Easy2Cook designed the factory kitchen as a multi-technology production hub rather than a single-format plant. Several advanced food preservation and packaging technologies were implemented, including Rare Oxygen Packaging (ROP), Controlled Atmospheric Packaging (CAP Cold), Cup Cold technology, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), and retort packaging. These technologies allowed the production of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals with extended shelf life while maintaining sensory quality and food safety.

Slow cooking technologies were introduced using Rational (Germany) and Retigo (Czech Republic) combi ovens, enabling precise thermal control and consistent product outcomes. Automated solutions were implemented for dumpling production, including pelmeni, gyoza, vareniki, dim sum, and various dumpling formats. The entire noodle production process was automated, significantly reducing manual labor and variability.

Blast chilling technology at minus 35 degrees Celsius was introduced to ensure rapid temperature reduction and microbial safety. Stir-fry technology was integrated to support high-volume production of Asian-style dishes without compromising texture or freshness.

Total investment into the project amounted to approximately 1.2 million euros. The payback period was calculated at two years and two months, which was achieved through a combination of labor cost reduction, waste minimization, procurement optimization, and sales growth driven by improved quality and consistency.

One of the most significant outcomes was the reduction of kitchen staff at retail locations by approximately 45 percent. Labor costs, which previously represented around 30 percent of product cost, were reduced to nearly 15 percent. This reduction did not negatively affect quality; on the contrary, quality improvements led to increased customer trust and higher sales volumes.

The introduction of high-barrier packaging and modified atmosphere technologies extended shelf life of ready meals, salads, soups, side dishes, bakery products, and hot meals to 12–15 days. Products were packed in CPET trays suitable for reheating and even finishing in convection ovens at temperatures up to 180 degrees Celsius. This shelf-life extension fundamentally changed the logistics model of the network.

Within three years after implementation, the client successfully opened an additional ten Ready Meal Stores in other cities located up to 800 kilometers away. Centralized production made geographic expansion economically viable and operationally stable.

Easy2Cook acted as the project designer, equipment selection partner, engineering company, training provider, and assortment optimization consultant.

The product range was reduced from approximately 2,000 SKUs to 600 SKUs, creating a clear, manageable, and economically efficient assortment. A raw material matrix was rebuilt, production flows were standardized, and full-scale training was conducted for process technologists, new product designers, shift managers, and factory management.

The total project duration was one year and four months. Consulting fees amounted to approximately 220,000 USD, with eight Easy2Cook specialists involved in design, implementation, training, and stabilization phases.

This project demonstrates how centralized factory kitchens can transform ready meal retail networks, enabling scalable growth, cost control, quality stability, and long-term expansion without reliance on excessive in-store labor.