The ability of honey to preserve food and store it for a long time is a production idea. The desire to socialize soldiers who have returned from the front is a business responsibility.
Back in 2017, ATO veteran Maksym Petryk founded a honey dessert company with his fellow soldiers in Khmelnytskyi region. The company set aside part of its profits to create new jobs for the ATO veterans, their wives and mothers. Now Maksym is back at the military front, continuing to defend the country from the Russian enemy. And the business he started continues to hold the economic front line.
Serhiy Gruzdo, Production Director of FrontMed, spoke about the craft production of natural sweets, entrepreneurship development and its social component.
"FrontMed is a delicious brand from the town of Shepetivka that is already known throughout Ukraine. The impetus for the company was the School of Social Apitherapy rehabilitation program for ATO soldiers. For 9 weeks, experts in the field of beekeeping shared the secrets of honey business with the guys who had returned from the front (hence the name of the brand).
Filled with the desire to have a business that would be both pleasing to their souls and useful to the state, Shepetivka's atovtsy founded the FrontMed cooperative. They chose gift sets with honey and nut desserts, wax candles, and herbal teas as the final product for consumers. The work involved brothers-in-arms and families of local combatants.
In 2022, after the outbreak of a large-scale war, the "frontline soldiers" returned to defend the country, and the honey business was entrusted to the IDPs.
Today, the company is run by Olena and Serhii Gruzdo, a couple from Kyiv region. Last year, they fled the war in Serhiy's small homeland and stayed here.
"When we came to Khmelnytsky, we never imagined that we would become entrepreneurs here. At first, we volunteered. At that time, there were almost 8,000 internally displaced people in Shepetivka, a kind of humanitarian hub. "We were just helping the city, and later this volunteering turned into a job," says Serhiy. "FrontMed is now also fulfilling a humanitarian mission. We have 8 full-time employees, most of them are IDPs. We are planning to open two more workplaces for people who need help in adapting to a new place. We have been through this journey ourselves, so we know how important such support is."
Into the new year with a new assortment
With the creation of additional jobs, the couple plans to expand production. They want FrontMed products to be available not only as gift sets, but also in coffee shops. They chose a pastille made from natural ingredients as a treat for such a treat. They have even purchased an innovative infrared dryer, which can be used to dry fruit for its production.Гроші на розвиток компанії Олена з Сергієм отримали по програмі мікрогрантів «Власна справа», яка є частиною проєкту «єРобота» від Міністертва економіки. Сподіваються, під 2024 рік усе вдасться.
A recognizable symbol of quality and responsibility
FrontMed products have no artificial colors - they are colored by nature. The desserts do not contain sugar or flavor enhancers - they are flavored with natural honey, high-quality fruits and selected nuts. The manufacturers do not use preservatives - the recipes are designed to ensure that honey retains its healing properties for as long as possible. Frisbees, pastilles, and teas are perfectly dried and packaged, so they also have a long shelf life.
Having set a goal to popularize Ukrainian natural products and create a brand that will be associated with responsibility and quality, the team has been modernizing production processes, developing original recipes, and improving packaging design since the first months of operation. And they have achieved their goal.
Honey desserts with nuts, berries and dried fruits, marshmallows and freezes, bee products, wax candles and herbal teas - the company's products have become a recognizable symbol of quality, environmental friendliness and exquisite flavors. The producers made gift sets for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The family of President Poroshenko, musician Oleh Skrypka and singer Ruslana enjoyed FrontMed desserts. Today, the company is proud of the first shipment to the United States and plans to establish cooperation with the Ukrainian diaspora to promote MadeInUkraine's unique delicacies abroad.
Writer: Iryna Shatalova
