“Astra” was packed in a brightly colored package with red, yellow, and orange rectangles. The powder was designed for washing white clothing made of natural fabrics, such as cotton or linen.
The chemical plant, producing the Astra powder, was built in 1948 — 1953 on the territory of the sugar factory “Profintern” destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. Alexey Kosygin, Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers personally supervised the plant construction. Modern and high-tech equipment was brought to the company from Germany under the reparation program — as compensation for damages during the war.
The plant was the first in Russia to begin production of synthetic fatty acids and fatty alcohols, which are source raw materials for different detergents, and later, for constructional materials, perfumes, and cosmetics. Before that, expensive vegetable oils, brought from abroad, were used for this purpose.
In the second half of the 20th century, the Shebekino Chemical Plant became known throughout the Soviet Union. In 1963, it produced nearly a third part of all fatty acids and detergents in the country. A few years later, the enterprise received the Red Banner of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Red Banner of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and the Red Banner of the Council of Ministers due to its labor achievements.
