diff --git a/lib/DI/ContainerConfigurator.php b/lib/DI/ContainerConfigurator.php
index a3b89a0d66..7f9f164468 100644
--- a/lib/DI/ContainerConfigurator.php
+++ b/lib/DI/ContainerConfigurator.php
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ class ContainerConfigurator implements IContainerConfigurator {
       ->setPublic(true)
       ->setFactory([new Reference(\MailPoet\Config\RendererFactory::class), 'getRenderer']);
     // Doctrine
+    $container->autowire(\MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider::class);
     $container->autowire(\MailPoet\Doctrine\ConfigurationFactory::class);
     $container->autowire(\MailPoet\Doctrine\ConnectionFactory::class);
     $container->autowire(\MailPoet\Doctrine\EntityManagerFactory::class);
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/Annotations/AnnotationReaderProvider.php b/lib/Doctrine/Annotations/AnnotationReaderProvider.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4df19bb7cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/Annotations/AnnotationReaderProvider.php
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations;
+
+use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Annotations\AnnotationReader;
+use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Annotations\AnnotationRegistry;
+use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Annotations\CachedReader;
+use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Cache\ArrayCache;
+
+class AnnotationReaderProvider {
+  /** @var CachedReader */
+  private $annotation_reader;
+
+  function __construct() {
+    // register annotation reader if doctrine/annotations package is installed
+    // (i.e. in dev environment, on production metadata is dumped in the build)
+    $read_annotations = class_exists(CachedReader::class) && class_exists(AnnotationReader::class);
+    if ($read_annotations) {
+      // autoload all annotation classes using registered loaders (Composer)
+      // (needed for Symfony\Validator constraint annotations to be loaded)
+      AnnotationRegistry::registerLoader('class_exists');
+      $this->annotation_reader = new CachedReader(new AnnotationReader(), new ArrayCache());
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** @return CachedReader|null */
+  function getAnnotationReader() {
+    return $this->annotation_reader;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactory.php b/lib/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactory.php
index d0eaf4a843..765a982814 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactory.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactory.php
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 
 namespace MailPoet\Doctrine;
 
-use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Annotations\AnnotationRegistry;
-use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Annotations\SimpleAnnotationReader;
+use MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider;
 use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Cache\ArrayCache;
 use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\Common\Proxy\AbstractProxyFactory;
 use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\ORM\Configuration;
+use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\Driver\AnnotationDriver;
 use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\Driver\PHPDriver;
 use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\UnderscoreNamingStrategy;
 
@@ -19,8 +19,12 @@ class ConfigurationFactory {
   /** @var bool */
   private $is_dev_mode;
 
-  function __construct($is_dev_mode = null) {
+  /** @var AnnotationReaderProvider */
+  private $annotation_reader_provider;
+
+  function __construct($is_dev_mode = null, AnnotationReaderProvider $annotation_reader_provider) {
     $this->is_dev_mode = $is_dev_mode === null ? WP_DEBUG : $is_dev_mode;
+    $this->annotation_reader_provider = $annotation_reader_provider;
   }
 
   function createConfiguration() {
@@ -40,14 +44,10 @@ class ConfigurationFactory {
     $metadata_storage = new MetadataCache(self::METADATA_DIR);
     $configuration->setMetadataCacheImpl($metadata_storage);
 
-    // autoload all annotation classes using registered loaders (Composer)
-    // (needed for Symfony\Validator constraint annotations to be loaded)
-    AnnotationRegistry::registerLoader('class_exists');
-
-    // register annotation reader if doctrine/annotations package is installed
-    // (i.e. in dev environment, on production metadata is dumped in the build)
-    if (class_exists(SimpleAnnotationReader::class)) {
-      $configuration->setMetadataDriverImpl($configuration->newDefaultAnnotationDriver([self::ENTITY_DIR], false));
+    // annotation reader exists only in dev environment, on production cache is pre-generated
+    $annotation_reader = $this->annotation_reader_provider->getAnnotationReader();
+    if ($annotation_reader) {
+      $configuration->setMetadataDriverImpl(new AnnotationDriver($annotation_reader, [self::ENTITY_DIR]));
     } else {
       // Should never be called but Doctrine requires having driver set
       $configuration->setMetadataDriverImpl(new PHPDriver([]));
diff --git a/tests/integration/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactoryTest.php b/tests/integration/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactoryTest.php
index 87246f763b..65353a8072 100644
--- a/tests/integration/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactoryTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/Doctrine/ConfigurationFactoryTest.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace MailPoet\Test\Config;
 
+use MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\ConfigurationFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\MetadataCache;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\TablePrefixMetadataFactory;
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ use MailPoetVendor\Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\UnderscoreNamingStrategy;
 
 class ConfigurationFactoryTest extends \MailPoetTest {
   function testItSetsUpBasicOptions() {
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory();
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false, new AnnotationReaderProvider());
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
 
     expect($configuration)->isInstanceOf(Configuration::class);
@@ -35,12 +36,12 @@ class ConfigurationFactoryTest extends \MailPoetTest {
 
   function testItSetsUpEnvironmentSpecificOptions() {
     // dev mode
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(true);
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(true, new AnnotationReaderProvider());
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
     expect($configuration->getAutoGenerateProxyClasses())->equals(AbstractProxyFactory::AUTOGENERATE_FILE_NOT_EXISTS);
 
     // production mode
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false);
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false, new AnnotationReaderProvider());
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
     expect($configuration->getAutoGenerateProxyClasses())->equals(AbstractProxyFactory::AUTOGENERATE_NEVER);
   }
diff --git a/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/TimestampListenerTest.php b/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/TimestampListenerTest.php
index c1a655ba25..08c7eb7500 100644
--- a/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/TimestampListenerTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/TimestampListenerTest.php
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 namespace MailPoet\Test\Doctrine\EventListeners;
 
 use Carbon\Carbon;
+use MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\ConfigurationFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EntityManagerFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EventListeners\TimestampListener;
@@ -77,7 +78,8 @@ class TimestampListenerTest extends \MailPoetTest {
   }
 
   private function createEntityManager() {
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory();
+    $annotation_reader_provider = new AnnotationReaderProvider();
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false, $annotation_reader_provider);
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
 
     $metadata_driver = $configuration->newDefaultAnnotationDriver([__DIR__], false);
diff --git a/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/ValidationTest.php b/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/ValidationTest.php
index de13a92f67..62085906af 100644
--- a/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/ValidationTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/Doctrine/EventListeners/ValidationTest.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace MailPoet\Test\Doctrine\EventListeners;
 
+use MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\ConfigurationFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EntityManagerFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EventListeners\TimestampListener;
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@ class ValidationTest extends \MailPoetTest {
   }
 
   private function createEntityManager() {
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory();
+    $annotation_reader_provider = new AnnotationReaderProvider();
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false, $annotation_reader_provider);
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
 
     $metadata_driver = $configuration->newDefaultAnnotationDriver([__DIR__], false);
diff --git a/tests/integration/Doctrine/Types/JsonTypesTest.php b/tests/integration/Doctrine/Types/JsonTypesTest.php
index bd44472387..3081ba735b 100644
--- a/tests/integration/Doctrine/Types/JsonTypesTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/Doctrine/Types/JsonTypesTest.php
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 namespace MailPoet\Test\Doctrine\EventListeners;
 
 use Exception;
+use MailPoet\Doctrine\Annotations\AnnotationReaderProvider;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\ConfigurationFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EntityManagerFactory;
 use MailPoet\Doctrine\EventListeners\TimestampListener;
@@ -151,7 +152,8 @@ class JsonTypesTest extends \MailPoetTest {
   }
 
   private function createEntityManager() {
-    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory();
+    $annotation_reader_provider = new AnnotationReaderProvider();
+    $configuration_factory = new ConfigurationFactory(false, $annotation_reader_provider);
     $configuration = $configuration_factory->createConfiguration();
 
     $metadata_driver = $configuration->newDefaultAnnotationDriver([__DIR__], false);