ORGANIC'23: Ukrainian organic brands in retail abroad
Over the past two years, we have heard more and more about Ukrainian products appearing on the shelves of European stores under their own brand names. However, we'd would like to reassure you that Ukrainian products, especially organic ones, have long attracted the interest of foreign consumers and are actively sold in supermarkets worldwide.
“In recent years, there has been a trend of Ukrainian packaged products to enter the export market under various brand names, including their own. This is a positive trend, and I sincerely hope that it will continue to gain momentum. Snack products, particularly those made from fruit and berries, such as fruit rolls, fruit crisps, as well as energy bars, quick snacks, and unique beverages, have export potential,” says Sergiy Galashevskyy, General Manager of Organic Standard certification body, Ukraine.
*Organic Standard LLC is an international organisation and the first Ukrainian certification body to conduct inspection and certification of organic production.
Therefore, BrandStory, in collaboration with Organic Standard certification body within the ORGANIC'23 project, is pleased to present to you Ukrainian Brand Leaders who export and sell their products worldwide under their own brand names.
In Search of Ukrainian products: 5 organic brands from Ukraine that have earned their place on the shelves of global retail chains.
Family Garden
Family Garden has been engaged in the cultivation, sorting, packaging, and export of organic blackberries since 2017.
It is currently one of the largest organic blueberry plantations in Ukraine and Europe, covering an area of 155 hectares, located in the Kyiv region. They also have modern equipment for processing fresh berries.
To achieve the highest standards, Family Garden uses cutting-edge technology at all stages of production and aims to effectively apply an organic approach. Their entire product range meets organic standards and holds the relevant certificates from Organic Standard, as well as quality certificates such as Global GAP, GRASP, SMETA, and BRC.
Located 60 km from Kyiv, the farm survived the occupation, which had a significant impact on their operations.
“In 2022, despite the month-long occupation of the village by russian invaders and the destruction and theft of most of our essential assets, we were able to recover quickly and have a successful export season”, the company notes.
Family Garden has always been export-oriented since its foundation. Over 95% of its production is exported to the countries of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
“Our customers include major global berry importers such as Driscoll’s (USA), BerryWorld (UK), Surexport (Spain), as well as foreign retail giants such as COOP Trading (Denmark, Norway, Finland) and EDEKA (Germany)”, the company says.
In recent years, the company’s products have been on the shelves in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.
Products under the Family Garden brand are available in the largest retail chains of Ukraine, such as Goodwine and Novus.
Website: www.fg.ua
Organic Milk
The Organic Milk brand has been operating successfully on the Ukrainian market for 10 years and is one of the leaders in industrial-scale organic production.
The well-known symbol of the brand, the circle which is featured on the product labelling, embodies two aspects: the name Organic Milk and the idea of a closed, continuous production cycle. Large land areas, its own farms, the availability of suitable raw materials, and modern technology are just some of the ingredients in its recipe of success.
Organic Milk guarantees the use of organically certified animal feed, free access to pasture areas, and automated, contact-free milking and bottling. All production stages are certified as organic and are under the control of Organic Standard, complying with international and Ukrainian organic production standards.
Daily, approximately 30 tonnes of fresh milk are transformed into a diverse range of products, including ultrapasterized milk, lactose-free milk and other types, kefir, yoghurt, butter, sour cream, cheese, and more.
In 2022-2023, the producer added several types of kefir, butter, including lactose-free sweet cream butter, and new flavours of organic Gouda cheese with walnuts, cumin, and more to their product lineup.
According to Olena Stretovych, Director of Organic Milk LLC, the company has faced several challenges due to the war. These challenges include a reduction in the number of target consumers due to population migration, the closure of export markets in the Persian Gulf countries, and increased production costs, making it more difficult to raise prices due to reduced profit margins. However, the company remains economically resilient and is expanding its export potential to the EU countries, starting with Poland:
“We are expanding our export markets, especially in Europe. Currently, we are continuing to build and seek new relationships with partners and distributors. We are negotiating with potential partners in Italy”, said Olena Stretovych, Director of Organic Milk LLC.
In Poland, products of the Ukrainian Organic Milk brand can be found in retail chains such as ALDI, Allegro, Auchan, Detal, Hurt, Intermarche, Leclerc, Marko, Snack, and others.
In Ukraine, the brand is available in all specialised organic shops and large national supermarkets, including Goodwine, Winetime, Metro, Silpo, Auchan, Velyka Kyshenya, Fora, and others.
Website: www.organic-milk.com.ua
Brancho Ukraine
The brand belongs to the company Brancho Ukraine LLC. This entrepreneurial organisation is a family business specialising in the production of craft fruit and vegetable products.
Its story began in 2018 when the decision was made to create tasty natural snacks. The research work on the organic direction of snack production and the development of recipes for organic products began in 2020, and the range of organic products was introduced to consumers in 2022.
From the very beginning of its operation, the company quickly transformed from a local craft producer to a producer and exporter of organic products. Its products comply with organic standards and are certified by the Organic Standard.
One of its key products, Brancho's organic fruit rolls, are simple and tasty snacks that have gained popularity among health-conscious consumers. The fruits and berries used to make these fruit rolls are carefully selected, mixed with apples, and dried at low temperatures.
“We don't blanch our chips or use any preservatives. The main advantage of our chips is not in their perfect appearance or shelf life, but in their naturalness”, said Andriy Shklyar, one of the co-founders of Brancho Ukraine LLC.
The company's assortment includes more than 35 different products, including fruit rolls in various flavours such as apple-strawberry, apple-rhubarb-honey, and apple-raspberry. The company also produces various dried fruits and vegetables, including apricots, chokeberries, aubergineseggplants, sweet potatoes, cranberries, pumpkins, melons, lingonberries, watermelons, blackberries, raspberries, nectarines, blackcurrants, cherries, and many others, all certified organic.
Since 2021, the company has been successfully exporting its products, including to Germany.
Website: www.brancho.ua
Spring Drops
The Spring Drops brand was established in 2012 and is owned by Liluck LLC, located in the Chernivtsi region.
Liluck LLC specialises in the production and export of organic birch sap. Their product meets international and Ukrainian organic production standards and has Organic Standard compliance certificates.
The Spring Drops birch sap is unique because it is made exclusively from its own primary raw materials. Additional ingredients may be sourced from other organic producers. The birch sap is collected from forestry farms in the Bukovyna region, close to the Carpathian Mountains.
Before the full-scale war broke out, the company produced over 700,000 litres of sap a year under the Spring Drops brand. The company also has their products under other brands. Currently, Liluck LLC has collected and produced approximately 400,000 litres of organic birch sap.
During the full-scale war in Ukraine, the company has faced significant challenges in the supply of packaging materials.
"After the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, there was a shortage of glassware, which is the main type of packaging for Liluck LLC products. In order to normalise the situation, the company started to look for glassware outside Ukraine and imported a significant amount of glassware from Moldova”, the company representatives said.
One of the key features of Spring Drops is its success in the international markets. The company was the first to put birch sap on European stores shelves a decade ago and continues to lead the juice exporters. In total, more than half of the products are exported.
The majority of exports are under customers’ brands, although some production is exported company’s own Spring Drops brand.
The company exports its birch sap to Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. The popular product can be found in such retail chains as Lidl and Auchan. Ukrainian consumers can also find products under the Spring Drops brand in stores such as Silpo, Novus, Auchan, and the Okko petrol station network.
Website: www.liluck.com.ua
Rud/Eskimos Organic
Rud is a well-known brand which is owned by Zhytomyr Butter Plant Public Joint Stock Company, which has been successfully producing products under this brand since 1998.
The company specialises in the production of various products, including packaged milk and dairy products such as sour cream, yoghurt, butter, spreads, glazed cheese, and ice cream. It also produces frozen semi-finished products such as pelmeni, varenyky, frozen vegetables, and dough. The product range comprises over 100 items.
The company has been producing organic products under the Eskimos Organic brand since 2015.
All stages of organic ice cream production under the Eskimos Organic brand comply with the international organic production standards and are certified as organic by the Organic Standard certification body.
The full-scale war period became extremely challenging for the company: a significant increase in the prices of goods and services, the mass exodus of consumers abroad, and a decrease in the purchasing power of those who stayed were just a few of the problems the company faced simultaneously. The company suffered property losses: destroyed warehouses and commercial equipment, and the loss of stocks stored in the occupied territories.
Since the autumn 2022, they have experienced a series of power cuts. The problem was solved by purchasing three industrial generators. Currently, Zhytomyr Butter Plant PJSC is in search of looking for adaptive tools that will enable the company to survive the tough times, to function normally, and to lay the foundation for a “post-war leap”.
The Rud ice cream is sold in 37 countries worldwide. The company exports its organic products under the Eskimos Organic brand and under private European labels to Poland and Germany.
Website: www.rud.ua
This year has been exceptionally difficult due to the war. However, Ukrainian organic producers have shown incredible bravery and courage. They have not been deterred by the difficulties, and have sought not only to maintain their enterprises but also to expand their opportunities and exports.
The material is available in the Ukrainian language.
*This publication has been produced with the support of Switzerland within the Swiss-Ukrainian program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).
The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the development partner and the implementing agencies of the programs.
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