PU ‘Carpathian Taste’ and the Swiss-Ukrainian Program ‘Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine’ signed a new partnership agreement

Lviv, September 15, 2020

Ukraine and Switzerland have many things in common: deeply rooted traditions, beautiful landscapes and tasty food. In August 2020, the Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’ and the Swiss-Ukrainian Program ‘Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine’ signed a new partnership agreement with the objective to support the promotion of authentic gourmet products from the Ukrainian Carpathians region under the brand ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’, a unique initiative with great potential!

The brand ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’ unites twenty-six local producers from the Ukrainian Carpathians offering over 300 labelled products: fresh and ripened cheeses, dairy products, speciality meat products, wild plants (mushrooms, herbs) and fresh and processed products, honey and bee pollen, oils, cereals, fruit jams, syrups, fish and wine. “Every manufacturer is special. With its authentic product and personal history. And although we are all different, we are united by the desire to create unique environmentally friendly and high-quality products from the Carpathian region”, says Pavlo Tizesh, head of the Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’. The primary purpose of the brand is to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized producers in the region to stimulate its economic and social development through a brand that creates a positive image of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

The Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste‘ is a professional, non-profit association of small and medium-sized Carpathian producers from four regions of Ukraine (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Zakarpattia), which have united to promote authentic, tasty products from the Ukrainian Carpathians region under the brand ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’. “During its existence, the Public Union has been able to unite public and private actors who want more people to consume authentic Carpathian products. We give food producers, union members of ‘Carpathian Taste’ the right to use the trademark ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’, which in turn confirms the high standards of quality and safety of production, and brings them closer to recognition in Ukrainian and international markets”, explains Galyna Batyus, director of the Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’. Following a successful inspection, during which the origin and quality are assessed, the goods are then labelled with the quality seal ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’. The producers of labelled products, all members of the Public Union, will benefit from a joint marketing strategy linked to the promotion and use of the brand. In addition, the members benefit from shared trading and retail contacts, allowing them to boost sales and income jointly.

These joint efforts create an opportunity for the Carpathian agricultural sector to benefit from the increasing demand for authentic, tasty products from the Ukrainian Carpathians region on domestic and international markets. “The brand is developing rapidly and has achieved significant success”, says Yuriy Ohlashennyy, coordinator of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program ‘Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine’. Labelled products are well known in the Carpathian region and are available in larger cities throughout Ukraine we well as on international markets. The members of the Public Union regularly participate in local fairs, exhibitions, and presentations, including the Cheese and Wine Festival in Lviv, Bread Festivals, Christmas and Easter festivals, and the fair of organic and natural products, ‘Ecoterra’.

The Public Union, which owns the trademarked brand ‘Taste of Ukrainian Carpathians’, was established in 2012 with the support of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO. The new partnership agreement confirms the excellent cooperation and is the beginning of the next phase: the Public Union is now taking the lead in promoting activities and boosting the brand. The Swiss partners support in strengthening the Public Union with a capacity-building approach, ensuring sustainable institutional development, enhancing members’ capacity and commitment to understand and realise the brands’ concept.

Contact:

• Pavlo Tezish, President of the Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’, Phone +38 097 381 40 52
• Galyna Batyus, Director of the Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’, Phone +38 097 777 20 01, Email batyus@tuca.com.ua
• Yuriy Ohlashennyy, Coordinator of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program ‘Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine’, Phone+38 067 257 70 99, Email yuriy.ohlashennyy@qftp.org

Links:

• tuca.com.ua
• qftp.org

The Public Union ‘Carpathian Taste’ is supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine”, funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland), www.qftp.org.