Together We're Stronger: How a Community Can Open Up New Opportunities for Crafters

When we first began supporting this project, our primary focus was on food security and the development of rural areas. Today, we see that large producers are under constant attack and are suffering losses. In these circumstances, small and medium-sized producers are stepping up to safeguard food security by supplying food to people locally. This is also important for the economy: businesses need to grow, jobs need to be created, and regions need to keep thriving.

Small-scale farmers are our best asset at a time when negotiations with the EU are underway and we’re being accused of having only large agricultural holdings in Ukraine. In reality, we have a multitude of small producers who, on the one hand, can ensure food security at the regional level, and on the other, contribute to the social development of rural communities.

Right now, we all face the same challenge—the war, which affects everything. And while European integration may seem like a distant prospect, it’s actually a huge opportunity. It’s not just about the opportunity to export products, but also about access to financial resources, tools for rural development, greater predictability in agricultural policy, and participation in scientific projects. It opens far more doors. 

The association can provide significant assistance to producers regarding food safety and the implementation of HACCP. Even though craft producers make completely different products, many of the challenges they face are similar. Within the community, they can exchange their own experiences, suggest practical solutions to one another, and share contacts for trusted consultants, auditors, and other food safety specialists. Some have already walked this path and know where difficulties arise and who is best to turn to for help. And that is of great value.

Properly implementing the safety requirements of a management system based on HACCP principles is always a challenge, and most participants will still need to overcome it. Every craft brewer must clearly understand that the key to their product’s success is quality and safety, which must always be the top priority. This means strict compliance with legal requirements, which are also subject to government oversight.

The interests of craftspeople are probably the least represented at the national level today. We lack an organization that could advocate for and defend the legislative initiatives the sector needs. But to do that, we need to understand who we are and what we look like. We’re not talking about a specific form right now—a cooperative, a cluster, or an association. For now, we’ll call it a community, and the community itself will have to decide what it wants to be.

A tremendous amount of work has gone into each of the projects presented. I think that even the preparation for the pitching session gave the producers an opportunity to take another look at their own businesses, identify their strengths, and reflect on how to move forward. It’s especially gratifying to see that craft producers are paying more and more attention to marketing, thinking about exporting, and seeking opportunities for growth despite all the challenges of today. And it’s precisely within the community that it’s important to continue this exchange of experiences.

We talk a lot about how to ensure that small businesses, small-scale producers, and craft producers have a voice and can make their views heard. One such mechanism could be clustering. This provides an opportunity not only to communicate with one another but also to jointly represent their interests and convey them to policymakers.

Such associations take on particular importance in the context of European integration, alongside access to financing, information, and other support tools. A draft law on associations of agricultural producers is expected to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in the near future. 

When dozens of small manufacturers enter the international market individually, that is one possible scenario. But when they come together as a community, the opportunities become significantly greater. The development, support, and scaling of such associations can become an important tool for strengthening the export potential of Ukrainian businesses.