At a glance: 3,000 ha farmed (≈1,500 ha under irrigation); 12,000 t total storage (including a new 3,600-t container store); a young team of 53; a focus on modern machinery and training; preparing for the brand’s 30th anniversary in 2026.
Infrastructure: from canopies to “smart” ventilation
The latest major investment is a 3,600-t container potato store (4 chambers) for in-house seed and small lots; the main commercial volume remains in bulk (including a Soviet-era cellar that still delivers the best microclimate).
The base also includes grain areas and a modernized elevator; plans call for a soy storage hangar and drying canopies. Before intake, harvested potatoes air for about a day under the canopy—a free, natural “ventilation” that removes the 1–2% surface moisture typical even in dry lifting and reduces storage risk.
Production: irrigation and one-pass fieldwork
Key crops are potatoes, soy, and corn, with durum wheat in rotation; irrigation is applied where and when it adds value. Planting uses combined one-pass rigs: enter a harrowed, fertilized field, form finished ridges in one go, then protection and irrigation take over. The container pool is washed, disinfected, and dried every season.
People: how to retain staff
The operator shortage is industry-wide. Samara Solana’s toolkit:
- Modern equipment and control systems (simplifies life for operators and gives managers transparent oversight).
- Pay and training: annual bonuses on a June–June cycle; seniority uplifts; yearly technical trips (trade fairs, technology scouting) for operators and specialists.
- On-site amenities: heated restrooms and sinks, canteen/meal provision at the site, positive-pressure clean cabins over grading lines, and fine-mist dust suppression at high-dust points.
“There are no ‘unimportant’ operations. Skip something ‘until tomorrow’—and don’t expect a maximum result,” Maxim notes.
Logistics and accountability
The company operates strictly within legal weight limits—no overloads. Plans include a second 70-t truck scale at the loading zone with dual readouts (operator + driver). A “down-to-earth” risk is cable theft: center-pivots and booms are disassembled for winter and re-assembled pre-season to protect components.
Portfolio and partnerships
Historically tied to Solana (DE), the farm continues that cooperation; in their experience Solana varieties are stable and market-preferred. The farm also produces technical varieties for PepsiCo (incl. VR, Lady Claire, Newton, Brook). Seed operations are growing: last season ~400 t of seed shipped to Mongolia (25-kg net bags with full labeling). Next up: a pre-pack/inspection line inside the store.
Anniversary and priorities
Official “birthday”: 13 August 1996. For the 30th anniversary, the plan is to recognize employees—less show, more bonuses for the people delivering results.
Potatoes News takeaway: Samara Solana shows how you keep people by combining technology + fair pay + training + decent on-site conditions. On the production side, the focus on container storage, irrigation, one-pass planting, and discipline at every step yields the controllable quality and resilience the market needs right now.
