The History of the Babayevsky Brand: A Story Beginning with the Founders of the Confectionery Business4 photos

Stepan, a serf from Penza Province, began his career by supplying various delicacies and sweets to the homes of the wealthy. He excelled particularly in making products made from apricots, including pastes. His successful efforts led to the establishment of a small artisanal workshop in Moscow in 1804. Stepan and his family served elite events such as banquets and weddings, gaining gradually greater fame. Their expertise in crafting sweets from apricots earned them the nickname 'The Apricot Family'. In October 1814, their surname was officially changed to Aprikosovy. By the 1850s, Alexey Ivanovich, having married Agrippina Musatova—a woman with a substantial dowry—was able to significantly expand the production capacity, diversify the product range, and increase the volume of confectionery produced. By 1873, the Aprikosovy Confectionery Enterprise, operating in several brick buildings equipped with state-of-the-art technology, had grown into a true factory. In response, on February 23, 1873, Alexey Ivanovich applied to the Governor-General of Moscow for the enterprise to be granted factory status and renamed 'The Sons of Alexey Ivanovich Aprikosov'. In 1879, he took charge of the family-owned factory-and-trade cooperative, which owned two confectionery factories in Moscow and one in Simferopol. The Simferopol branch specialized in producing jams, compotes, glazed nuts, candied fruits, marzipan, and sugar-coated chestnuts, among other products. In the early 20th century, the business expanded to include a pastry shop and bakeries on Tverskaya Street, as well as five additional stores in Moscow. Babayevsky confections could also be found in Saint Petersburg, Kiev, Odessa, and Rostov-on-Don. The elegantly designed shops were renowned throughout Russia for the high quality of their products and the excellent training of their staff. The Babayevskys' innovative approach to customer service could serve as a model for modern advertising professionals. For example, they once advertised that only blondes would sell goods in one of their new stores and only brunettes in another, ensuring that both groups of women were exceptionally attractive, thus attracting large crowds of men eager to buy sweets and beautifully packaged gifts. The success of the Babayevsky confectionery business was inseparable from innovative and memorable advertising campaigns. Original advertisements appeared in various central newspapers and magazines, as well as on shop windows and huge posters on buildings. Customers received calendars, pencils, and elegant notebooks as souvenirs. In the 1870s, the Babayevskys even established a specialized company to design packaging for their products. They achieved true artistic excellence in creating various types of boxes, ranging from cardboard and metal ones to those covered with velvet and organza, as well as glass containers with silver foil trimmings. These packaging materials were so impressive that they were often kept by customers as souvenirs. Such innovative and effective advertising efforts contributed significantly to the Babayevsky brand's success.