Today marks four years since the launch of the humanitarian project Bake4Ukraine. Throughout this time, Zeelandia Ukraine together with the charity organization “Perspectiva 21.3” has been implementing the project to support bakeries affected by the war. Where food security is under threat, bread becomes more than just a product — it becomes a symbol of life and the future.
Since February 2022, Zeelandia Ukraine, together with the charitable organization “Perspektyva 21.3,” has launched the Bake4Ukraine #bake4ukraine project aimed at supporting Ukrainian bakeries affected by Russian aggression.
At the beginning of the war, the issue of food security became critically important for communities located in combat zones or under temporary occupation, which had lost access to fresh bread and basic food supplies.
The reaction of people evacuated from occupied territories to an ordinary bread roll was incredible: some cried, others held the bread to their chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Beeld: © Zeelandia Ukraine
125 bakeries — is that a lot or a little? Bake4Ukraine - 4 years result
It was then that we realized how important it is for every community to have its own bakery — even a small one — capable of providing people with freshly baked bread. In the harsh conditions of war, seemingly ordinary things take on special meaning. Bread is not just food. It is a symbol of hope, life, and faith in victory,
tells Andriy Vasylenko, Director Zeelandia Ukraine
The first units of equipment were delivered to bakeries in the Donetsk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. Later, thanks to the active support of our international colleagues, we began receiving used equipment from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, which allowed us to significantly expand the scale of assistance. Today, as destruction has affected nearly every region, equipment is being delivered to bakeries across Ukraine.
From December 2024 through the end of 2025, the Bake4Ukraine project was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. As part of this support, 50 bakeries in frontline areas received equipment.
2024-2025 - Bake4Ukraine – SME bakeries support in the regions that are effected by the war
We are proud to announce that over the four years of the Bake4Ukraine project, the number of supported bakeries has reached 125 — symbolically matching the 125th anniversary of Royal Zeelandia Group in 2025. As of the end of the year, bakeries in 65 communities across Ukraine had received equipment.
Andriy Vasylenko
During this time, 27 trucks loaded with equipment were delivered to Ukraine, including:
- 24 ovens
- 71 dough mixers
- 23 dough dividers
- 16 proofing cabinets
- 22 bread slicers
as well as much other professional bakery equipment.
We express our sincere gratitude to our colleagues at the Zeelandia corporate office in the Netherlands for their continuous financial support of logistics, to our colleagues in the United Kingdom for proactively sourcing equipment donors, and to our partners in Poland and Belgium.
We believe that the day of peace will come very soon — and every Ukrainian bakery will bake bread for a peaceful and happy life.
Andriy Vasylenko