CraftUP Ukraine - Private Sector Development Project

All participants successfully completed the project’s training and mentorship program. This meeting served as more than just an opportunity to select the best candidates and award the winners -  it brought together craft producers from different regions of Ukraine. Although they work with diverse products and vary in experience and business scale, they often face similar challenges—such as food safety, search for funding and expertise, entering new markets, exporting, and dialogue with  government authorities. Addressing these issues alone is far more difficult.

The project once again highlighted the need for craft producers to unite. A community, however, can serve as a platform for sharing experience and contacts, providing mutual support, jointly identifying opportunities, and representing the interests of the craft sector.

First place and a grant of UAH 350,000 went to Iryna Karabut, co-owner of the "Medunytsia" family apiary in  Dnipropetrovsk region. The funds will be used to purchase a commercial vehicle, enabling the apiary to scale up operations and expand its sales reach.

Awarding the winner, Carolien Spaans, Agricultural Counsellor, mentioned her favorite Ukrainian book—"Grey Bees” by Andrey Kurkov. Its character, a beekeeper and his bees went on a road trip across war-torn Eastern part of Ukraine in search of a safer place.

Addressing Iryna, Carolien expressed the hope that the vehicle Iryna plans to purchase with the grant funds would never be needed to evacuate bees. Instead, may it deliver their honey all across Ukraine.

Carolin Spaans, Agricultural Counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine

When we began supporting this project, our primary focus was on food security and rural development. Today, we see large producers facing constant attacks and losses. In these circumstances, small and medium-sized producers are stepping up to safeguard food security by supplying local communities with food. This is also vital for the economy: businesses must grow, jobs must be created, and regions must remain vibrant.