Residents of Almaty have found a familiar loaf — known locally as "brick" bread — missing from store shelves. The Aksai Bread-Baking Plant (Khlebobarakonny Kombinat "Aksai") has explained the temporary shortage, the website infohub.kz reports.
For several days, Almaty residents have been discussing on the social network Threads why this type of bread has vanished. "Does anyone know where the brick loaf from Aksai Nan went?" user machmudik27 wrote.
Another user, veterkz, noted: "Aksai Nan hasn't produced the white brick for a second week. The most popular type of bread. And the tastiest in Almaty. (...) There are rumors that Chinese investors are supposedly interested in the plant."
Responding to numerous questions from residents, the company's management issued an official statement.
"We understand your concern over the temporary absence of our 'formovoy sotsialny' bread (brick) and ask you to stay calm, not to panic and not to trust unconfirmed rumors circulating in the media and social networks. We officially state: the reason for the temporary shutdown of the bread line is a serious technical malfunction requiring complex repair work," the statement said.
The ovens used to bake the pan bread were installed 39 years ago and have been in operation since the company began. The equipment is unique, and no modern equivalents exist. Fixing the malfunction therefore requires considerable technical effort and time.
"We emphasize in particular: the shutdown of the equipment was not intentional. Our specialists are currently carrying out genuine repair work, making every effort to restore the line's operation," Aksai added.
The company assured that its main task now is to promptly restore the production line and resume bread supplies to Almaty residents. However, no timeframe was given.