Business in a time of war: the winner of the "Do Your Own" contest tells how she develops her business in the de-occupied territory

Tetiana Mishchenko, a resident of the de-occupied village of Nyzy in Sumy region, won the Do Your Own business idea competition and opened a coffee shop. Tetyana told representatives of the MHP-Gromada charitable foundation about the concept of the "Cheerful Barista" and her plans for the future, UNN reports.

Details

In the first days of the full-scale invasion, Nyzy survived the occupation. At that time, columns of Russian tanks and vehicles were moving through the town. Mishchenko says there were thousands of them, and that it was very scary.

Now she believes that this horror will never happen again. Believing in victory, she submitted the project "Cheerful Barista" to the Do Your Own business idea competition. And she won.

"I really wanted to cheer up the locals and make them feel good. You can do this with good coffee and your own example, a smile, a kind word. That's why I always welcome visitors with joy, make them quality coffee and cheer them up," she recalls.

Currently, Tetiana works alone in the coffee shop. But she intends to hire another person in the future. She says that the Cheerful Barista is popular with locals.

"We opened just 2 months ago. But during this time, locals have already gotten used to us: they come in the morning when they take their children to kindergarten or school, during the day, and even in the evening after work," says the winner of the competition.

Tetiana also told us why she decided to go into the coffee business.

"In our village, there was no place where you could drink delicious coffee, sit and chat. There was no culture of coffee drinking, no cozy rituals that are typical of big cities. We just had to have such a place. In the same building, I had a small bar with juices and fast food that was open on weekends. But I always dreamed of a coffee shop," she recalls.

Thanks to winning the competition, Tetiana purchased a coffee machine and a coffee grinder. At her own expense, she furnished the space with tables, chairs, and a sign. Tetiana enjoys working at the coffee shop.

"The best part is seeing how coffee changes people's mood. Such simple things give a sense of support in these difficult times. I don't dream of expanding. I just want to make everything beautiful. The building where the coffee shop is located is outdated. That's why I plan to do some facade work and minor repairs in the spring. And also to create landscaping around it - plant trees, thuja, rose beds. We will also finish the playground. Because our people deserve the best," she summarized.

The winner of the "Do It Yourself" contest scaled up the business of producing fast and healthy lunches Dec 4 2023, 06:59 AM • 27709 views

Recall

At the end of May 2023, the organizers of the Do Your Own business idea competition for entrepreneurs in small towns and villages announced the winners.

Last year, the MHP-Hromadske Charitable Foundation, which organized the competition, supported 80 business projects totaling more than UAH 7.4 million.

A total of 615 applications were received from small entrepreneurs across the country. In particular, most business ideas were submitted in Kyiv (22%), Cherkasy (12%), Dnipro (11%), Vinnytsia (9%), and Lviv (9%) regions.

The main criteria for selecting the winners were project innovation, economic component, creation of new jobs, social significance, and involvement of IDPs in business or work. Both existing businesses that are expanding or relocating and entrepreneurs who have a business idea and are just looking for funding to implement it received grant support.

For reference

"MHP-Hromadas is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that started its operations in 2015. Its main mission is the comprehensive development of communities. The geography of its activities includes 12 regions of Ukraine: more than 700 towns and villages. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has been systematically supporting people in the war zone, Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals and maternity homes, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.