How international cultural exchanges affect business in Ukraine

Ukraine is a country of possibilities. But sometimes Ukrainians just need somebody who can be the example and the inspiration. How international cultural exchanges affect business in Ukraine I will tell in my story about 3 business from Ukraine. 

The creamery built by French hippies 

The appearance of the creamery in 2002 has changed forever a village Nyzhne Selysche in Transcarpatia (West Ukraine). Every morning starts here with people from the village and surrounding ones bringing milk. The production of cow’s milk is a possibility of significant additional income for local residents. Also, the creamery itself is a moving force of the cultural development of the village. People do not want to leave it anymore, there are educational and leisure institutions, anyone can start own business or get inspired by those who has already started. 

The story has started from leftist commune called Longo Mai, a network of agricultural cooperatives with an anti-capitalist ideological focus, which was created in 1989 in Transcarpatia. At that time, youngers came from France, entered into an agreement with Ukrainian university, and started to bring for internships to Europe. Longo Mai members usually live in a commune, and they were attracted by mostly post-Soviet countries. They had managed different internships for about ten years. Once in early 90th Ukrainian student Petro Prygara had an opportunity to explore France and some French creamery during 1,5 months. He also invited his new friends to visit his village after his internship. And once during the bbq-evening the idea to gather youth and to build something in one of the depressing villages of the region came across. In year 1994 five persons came from France to Nyzhne Selysche to decide what was possible to build at home to bring the social project to life and to engage the biggest amount of people. And it how was built first building of the creamery.

(you can turn on the English/Spanish subtitles in YouTube videos) 

Ukrainian wine with French flavor 

Grapes are grown on almost all continents around the world, but only several regions have special potential to create truly amazing wines. Areas favorable for vineyards are parallels of 30º to 50º northern and southern latitude. This is due to the fact that the grapes do not ripen in cold conditions, and at high temperatures fruits ripen too soon and have a specific taste. Historically, Shabo (South Ukraine) has been considered a good place for winemakers, as the village is located between the 46th and 47th parallels which are favorable for vineyards. Besides, Shabo has a mild climate, warm steppe air and sandy soils, and therefore it has perfect conditions for growing and after-ripening of grapes. At one of farm in Shabo, there is a full cycle of wine production: grape harvesting, beverage manufacturing, bottling, aging, packaging and delivery to almost every part of Ukraine. Such wines are called “castle wines”. It means that all stages of product manufacturing take place in one wine-making property – chateau (French for “castle”). 

Residents of Shabo village call him “monsieur”. Christophe Lacarin de Fabiani, an energetic 64-year-old Frenchman has been living and working in Ukraine for 16 years. The entrepreneur and the winemaker, he created his own corner of aristocratic hospitality and proprietary, hand-made wines in the famous Bessarabian village. The first time Christophe Lacarin visited Ukraine was in 2001. He came on an invitation of his friend, a French philanthropist who organized a contest for trumpeters in Ternopil (West Ukraine). That was when the man got acquainted with the concertmaster of Odesa Academy of Music, a pianist Marianna who eventually became his wife. When Christophe had moved to Odesa, he often drove around this city to explore some interesting places. Once, after reading Pushkin’s poem “Grapes”, he decided to visit Shabo village. And then the story began. 

Swedish carpets from the village Liubymivka

In 1782, 1200 Swedes moved to Tavria (South Ukraine) to found the settlement Staroshvedske. A modern Swedish community lives in Zmiyivka, a village in Tavria not far from the city Khahovka. The Scandinavian descendants preserved old religious rites of their ancestors. Some people still use the Swedish dialect that was spoken in Sweden during the 18th century. Zmiyivka is near the village Liubymivka, where Larysa Boden and her husband, who is from Sweden, started the carpet factory. Larysa says that she met her future business partners at a party in Sweden. They told her about an astonishing idea to produce carpets by reviving old weaving traditions of Scandinavia, but to do it in Ukraine. 

Larysa and her husband went to get acquainted with experienced Swedish weavers. When they saw the process, the couple persuaded the weavers to sell three looms and to come to Ukraine for a couple of months. Life in the Ukrainian village in the Khersonshchyna region was a culture shock for the seventy-year-old Swedish women, but it was the beginning of a long-lasting intercultural cooperation: The women started teaching the Ukrainians their craft. And so, the history of the factory began. Today forty people work there and take orders from all over the world. 

The article created with using the information from UKRAÏNER (the Project about Ukraine where you can find a lot of information about my country)

Sasha Stupakovska