CraftUP Ukraine: 40 Producers Complete Training Programme for Craft Food Businesses

The educational programme was delivered in partnership with the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office (Diia.Business), consulting agency Ekontrol, the entrepreneurial education platform Improve Yourself, Agro Marketing Agency, Zakarpattia Tourism Information Centre, the Favorite Food & Drinks tasting competition, the Sheep and Goat Breeding Association of Ukraine, Bavovna Restaurant, the international agritourism cluster Dnister 1362, certification body Organic Standard, STRKTRA Business School, and the Farmers’ Family Cooperative.

In addition to the core training programme, participants had the opportunity to attend supplementary educational events. These included a special lecture on the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages delivered by Oleksandr Shatalov, founder of the Tsypa Craft Brewery in Zakarpattia.

Participants also joined webinars entitled «Artificial Intelligence for Craft Businesses» and «Online Sales for Craft Businesses.» These events were organised with the support of the Craft Society Marketplace.

According to the organisers, the programme became not only an opportunity to gain new knowledge but also a platform for exchanging experience, building partnerships, and strengthening the professional craft community.

Once the training program is complete, the next phase of the project will begin—the selection of the 10 most active participants, who will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to an expert panel. Based on the evaluation results, the most promising projects will receive funding to scale up production, obtain certification, and enter new markets. The total support budget of 20,000 euros will be distributed among the finalists based on the results of their project presentations.

Note: Financial support will be provided in the form of payment for equipment and/or services, depending on the finalists’ needs.

In addition, finalists will have the opportunity to receive individual mentoring and consultations from leading industry experts.

The AgroPortal.ua team is already working to make the knowledge gained through the project accessible to a wider range of producers — all lectures are planned to be compiled into a separate training course, which will serve as a practical guide for Ukrainian craft food producers.

The educational and grant-based project CraftUP Ukraine is organized by the online publication AgroPortal.ua with the support of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ivanna Panasyuk, AgroPortal.ua