McComplex (Russia)

McComplex is a proprietary factory outside Moscow which is owned by McDonald's. It was built before the company opened its first branch in Russia. In the Soviet Union, there were no private businesses which could supply the 300 ingredients needed by a McDonald’s outlet. All ingredients needed to be made from scratch at a sprawling factory.

Private businesses in Russia now supply 80 percent of the ingredients in a McDonald’s, a reversal from the ratio when it opened in 1990 and 80 percent of ingredients were imported. Starting with pickles, which now come from a private farm, every item has been spun off from the nine production lines at McComplex, leading to dozens of new businesses being created, some now the most successful in the Russian food industry. Buns and pies are still made at the McComplex site, but by an independent contractor. The building is for sale.

External links

• Russia’s Evolution, Seen Through Golden Arches, By ANDREW E. KRAMER, nytimes.com, February 1, 2010.

See also

• McDonald's