Ukraine delivers Sweets & Snacks event pavilion despite ongoing conflict
Aerial view of the Ukrainian flag waving in the wind against the city of Kyiv, Ukraine near the famous statue of Motherland at sunset.
Ukraine has confirmed that it is set to deliver a pavilion at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo, despite the country still under war conditions, reports Neill Barston.
As the nation explained to Confectionery Production – which will be on hand to report live at the event again which opens tomorrow 22 May, until 25 May, at McCormick Place in Chicago for the final time, before moving to alternate venues from 2024 (alternating between Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
Notably, Ukraine is participating this year at the event in Chicago with support from the USAID Program “Competitive Economy of Ukraine” (USAID CEP), backing SMEs and business startups to become more competitive in domestic and international markets.
The Collective Stand of Ukraine can be found at Booths 20633-20641 of the event, which comes amid a notable period of sustained growth for the US confectionery sector, which delivered results of $42 billion across the industry in the past year.
As the Ukraine stand noted, since the start of the war in 2022, its manufacturers and businesses have faced numerous challenges, with many businesses reportedly forced to stop production during various phases of the war, including major multinational brands present in the country.
This year’s show in Chicago will see participate from five Ukrainian companies, including Yarych, a producer of hard-dough biscuits and crackers, and Steviasun Corporation (TM “Pure Delight”), manufacturer of sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, tea, jam, marshmallow and other stevia-based confectionery ranges.
They will be joined by fellow Ukranian firms, Sovarog LTD (“Happy Flakes”) producing breakfast cereals, cereal bars and croissants, The Ukrainian-German company “Truff Royal” (TM Pepo and others), which has delivered energy bars, chocolate, candied fruit, waffles, and similar products, and Arkmen, a producer of nuts in chocolate and nuts’ bars.
As the Ukraine pavilion noted, About 20% of confectionary enterprises were either damaged or stopped operations because of active hostilities.
Significantly, it noted that in 2022, volumes of export and production decreased by 10% and 10-12% respectively, though it has continued to operate and offer new market innovations based on key market trends. Consequently, its sector has gained retail presence in stores such as Auchan, Carrefour, Biedronka and Lidl.
“Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine is a priority for USAID Competitive economy program in Ukraine, especially under the conditions of the war and various challenges faced by businesses on a daily basis. Thus, USAID CEP encourages Ukrainian producers to explore alternative ways of generating incomes and expanding business and supports them in entering international markets.
“We hope that the participation in “Sweets and Snacks Expo 2023” will help the Ukrainian companies to expand their business network and enter the US confectionery and snacks market, which is on the rise and is expected to grow annually by more than 3%,”, says Olesya Zaluska, USAID CEP Chief of Party.
As the pavilion organisers noted, visitors of the Collective Stand of Ukraine can expect to taste cookies, crackers, sweets and breakfast cereals as well as sample palm oil free cookies, low sugar and Keto products made by the Ukrainian producers.
“Sweets and Snacks Expo is just round the corner and it is an honour for us to represent Ukraine at this largest confectionery and snack event in North America. We can’t wait to showcase our delicious treats to international visitors and prove that the Ukrainian food manufacturing businesses continue to work and deliver even under the war conditions. And of course, we hope to use endless networking opportunities which this expo offers to build lots of successful partnerships,” said Tetyana Shermolovych, Director General of “Yarych”, participant of the Collective Stand of Ukraine.