Aleksandr Aristov was born in 1949 into a working class mining family in Plast, the Chelyabinsk region. His father, Mikhail Vasilyevich, worked as a foreman at the Central mine in the city while his mother, Polina Ivanovna, was a bookseller. Aleksandr Aristov got his first job at 14 as a carpenter to help support his parents while continuing his education at evening school. In 1969, he became a fitter at a workshop at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant.
While continuing to work and educate himself, Aleksandr Aristov began studying at the Workers' Faculty of the Chelyabinsk Polytechnic Institute in 1971. A year later, he enrolled in the Mechanical and Technological Faculty of the same university. During his studies, the future entrepreneur worked part-time, unloading chips at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant during the day and serving in the fire prevention department at nights. He also actively participated in the work of student construction brigades.
It was during these years that his talent as a leader, his ability to organise and unite people, first emerged. Aleksandr Aristov recalls: "I acquired the construction materials, made all the arrangements for the projects, and we built everything ourselves."
Aleksandr Aristov graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and went on to be employed for several years in the construction of agricultural facilities where he was responsible for the building of grain silos and livestock buildings.
In 1988, together with his then business partner, organised the Energiya cooperative which was effectively the early beginnings of the Ariant enterprise. Initially, it was engaged in the production of consumer goods but was later reoriented to the production of high-quality meat products.
In 1995, Aleksandr Aristov and his business partner embarked on the construction of the Food Industry Center. With a lot of hard work put into it, the Center soon took off. Then, in Chelyabinsk, the construction of the sparkling wine plant began, where the production of mineral table water and sweet carbonated water under the new brand Ariant was established. The sector, specialising in meat, poultry, and meat by-products, was transferred to a separate division that also underwent rapid development.
In the same year, Aleksandr Aristov and his business partner showed interest in the metallurgical industry and started investing in shares of the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant. Through the combined efforts of specialists, the workforce, and trade unions, they managed to pull the enterprise out of crisis and launch a production modernisation program. Aleksandr Aristov was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In 1996, the businessman was elected as a deputy of the Regional Legislative Assembly and participated in the work of the Committee on Social Policy. However, because of the demands in his time, Aleksandr Aristov decided to step down as a deputy and fully dedicate himself to his business.
In the 2000s, Aleksandr Aristov increased the presence of his companies in the food industry markets. Simultaneously, he developed agribusiness, expanding his activities far beyond the Chelyabinsk region. In addition to meat production and beverages, he ventured into winemaking in the Krasnodar region. He acquired 7000 hectares of vineyards from the agrofirm Yuzhnaya and established connections with international enology specialists.
From 2008 to 2015, Aleksandr Aristov was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the LLC Food Industry Center - Ariant. In 2020, Aleksandr Aristov divided the business with his industry partner based on sectoral principles, retaining the food industry enterprises for himself. Soon after, he stopped actively managing the business and handed over the affairs to the younger generation in his family. His son-in-law now has complete management of the Ariant Group of Companies.
Since 2020, Aleksandr Aristov acts as an expert consultant to agribusiness and devotes his time to close family relationships. He says that these days his strength is his family.
He is married and has a daughter, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys football, tennis, and actively travels.
