On 6 October, the first Veterans’ Business Fair was held on Rynok Square near Lviv City Hall. The fair brought together more than twenty businesses founded by veterans and their families.
Veterans and their families presented a variety of products and items – from sweets and books to metal fences and military paraphernalia. The event was organised at the initiative of the families of the fallen Heroes with the support of the Lviv City Council’s Promotion Department. Mayor Andriy Sadovyi visited the fair.
“If you have a choice to buy something from a veteran or from other people, buy from veterans. After all, they protect us. Today is the Veterans’ Fair in Lviv. Here you can buy a book and eat a dumpling, buy an embroidered shirt or other military items. Everything is very high quality and tasty. The inscription on the chevron, which is also made by our veterans, can be a good symbol of this event – “Keep calm and clean the machine gun”. We must always be ready and support our defenders,” said Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi.
Thus, the first Veteran Business Fair in Lviv featured 22 manufacturers with a wide variety of products and services.
“We want to continue the tradition of holding such fairs. We want more of our veterans to take part in them and present their products. Veterans and their families are engaged in a variety of activities. Many veterans and their families have taken advantage of voucher support from the Lviv City Council, some have applied for other grants or are producing everything at their own expense. Therefore, there are opportunities to develop their own business, and now it is important to promote it. We are confident that this fair will help with this. After all, veterans’ business is the future of our well-being and stability for our defenders and their families,” said Viktoria Rodych, head of the NGO Families of the Fallen Heroes of Lviv Region.
In particular, Natalia Bervetska, wife of the fallen Hero Oleh Bervetskyi, used the voucher support of the Lviv City Council to start her own business. At the fair, she presented the production of dumplings and dumplings free of gluten, lactose, eggs and other allergens.
“Our son is gluten intolerant, meaning he gets allergic if he eats anything made from wheat. So I came up with an idea to start my own business and started making dumplings and dumplings that are suitable for my son. I try to choose healthy ingredients as much as possible so that they are good for the body.
Now I am working on the documentation to formalise everything. I want to open a workshop for such production with the possibility of selling to eco-stores at first, and then expanding production. I have a voucher from the Lviv City Council and a grant from the Norwegian Council,” says Natalia Bervetska.
Original military products were presented at the fair by the Bat Art workshop from Irpin. The military men make glasses and shot glasses with fused bullets, bracelets and knives.
“We started by weaving bracelets in a small 9m2 barn. Now our workshop covers 460 m2. We produce glasses and goblets with fused balls. We also make knives.
We buy bullets in stores. It’s not an ammunition or a cartridge, it’s just a bullet made of lead and brass. The glass with the bullet can be used in everyday life, you can drink from it – everything is completely safe.
We have also teamed up with another craft producer of hot sauces, Peche. We made them bottles for sauces with fused bullets and sell them as a set with our knives – hot sauce with sharp knives,” says Dmytro, a representative of the Bat art workshop.
Mykhailo Kostiuk, a war veteran who came to the fair to support his friends, the organisers, and to buy some of the military products, also noted the usefulness and importance of doing their own business.
“At the fair, I want to talk to veterans, hear how they live now, what supports them and motivates them to move on. So, I intend not only to buy something, but also to talk. In general, when you, or your family, start doing something when you return from the frontline, it relieves stress and depression. After all, one of the biggest anti-stress factors for a person is when you feel that you can move, that you can do something. It’s important not to get stuck. And starting a business, even the simplest one, is a good way to get back to life,” says Mykhailo Kostiuk.
By the way, today at the Fair visitors had the opportunity to buy goods from:
– “Dried Joy” – production of jerky and kabanos;
– Social cafe “Basil” – catering by pre-order;
– VOG-17 – pizzeria;
– Coffee for Two – coffee and homemade desserts;
– “Craft from the Farm” – making homemade jam according to old author’s recipes;
– “Fragrant Dream” – fresh bread and pastries;
– KuriiArt – an artistic workshop of author’s ceramics: ceramic pendants, cups, plates and other decorative items in a special ethnic colour and author’s style;
– markobook is a publishing house of ideological literature and strong meanings; its themes include heroics, history, ideology, educational and motivational literature;
– Ukrviyskviktorh store – production and sale of military equipment, footwear, accessories and ammunition;
– Bat art – a workshop of craft products: glasses and shot glasses with a ball, bracelets, knives and various souvenirs;
– Fence Plus – turnkey fences, sliding, swinging, sectional, industrial gates and gate automation, metal railings, stairs and decorative metal products;
– Natalie – Gluten free – dumplings and dumplings without gluten, lactose, eggs and other allergens;
– Odna Druha coffee shop – coffee, tea, desserts and valuables;
– MaYar “Embroider your dreams” – wooden souvenirs and goods with embroidery, as well as chevrons, patches and tokens;
– VyshyvanochkaUA – ancient embroidery from different regions of Ukraine;
– Granite and Marble – products made of granite and marble;
– Wooden Creativity – restoration and manufacture of wooden products;
– Creative workshop “Strange Bird” – original and personalised prints on various souvenirs: cups, T-shirts, notebooks, flash drives, postcards.
Given the engagement and interest of visitors, the fair may be held in the city again with more participants. This will be announced additionally after the fair.
As a reminder, the Lviv City Council actively supports businesses run by veterans and their families. The city has already issued more than 90 certificates of voucher support – up to UAH 300,000 each – for the development of veteran businesses.
Businesses run by veterans and their families in Lviv are also marked with special stickers “Support a Veteran’s Business” to attract the attention of consumers and residents and to promote businesses run by families of defenders. The city also created a map of veteran-owned businesses in Lviv and the region.