"Do your own thing with Kurator" for HoReCa: an officer restored the TeaKava coffee and tea club in Irpin after the de-occupation

Veteran, retired officer Fedir Kalenichenko, together with his volunteer wife , resumed the work of his own coffee and tea club "TeaKava" in de-occupied Irpin, UNN reports.

Details

Fedir is one of the winners of the Do Your Own with Kurator business idea competition for HoReCa. From the first days of the Russian war, he was an artilleryman on the front line. He was wounded and discharged in 2015. His health condition limited his abilities, but did not stop his dream. In January 2022, he and his wife Tetiana opened a special place in Irpin, the TeaKava club, where people could have a drink, work, and hold cultural events. But in February, due to the Russian occupation, the owners closed the place and distributed all the goods to the locals. During those terrible months, the premises were heavily damaged: shell fragments warped the doors, cut the walls, and damaged the equipment. However, in May, Fedir and Tetiana reopened the establishment. In the first months, they worked at a loss, but they didn't stop: coffee became a symbol of their former life for the traumatized townspeople. The project partner, MHP for Community, is convinced that the example of Ukrainian service created by the Kalenichens would impress the most demanding Europeans.

Because:

⁃ the club has a corner for children with construction sets, games, and tablets where kids can play;

⁃ Families can watch Ukrainian and foreign films with high-quality dubbing here, and thanks to headphones, this process does not disturb others;

⁃ bookcrossing has been established: people borrow books from the club library and leave their own in return;

⁃ the space is pet-friendly: there is always water and goodies for the four-legged friends;

⁃ a zone for mothers with babies has been created: a changing table and a high chair;

⁃ there is a barista call button for parents with strollers and visitors with disabilities;

⁃ even during power outages, people can drink coffee and work in the hall for 12 hours without interruption thanks to the modernized power supply system..

"You can't describe everything. There is a soul here. Our team is pleased that we helped restore security and scale this project: thanks to the grant funds, the Kalenychenko family replaced the front door and purchased a cocktail machine," the charity foundation says.

We would like to add that the Do Your Own with Kurator business idea competition for HoReCa was launched in early fall 2023. It was launched to support businesses that suffered during the war or are being developed by the military. The organizers are the MHP for Community Charitable Foundation and the Kurator brand. Veteran entrepreneurs, internally displaced persons, and businesses affected by Russian aggression have applied for funding for their food projects through the Do Your Own with Kurator business idea competition.

Out of 86 applications from all over Ukraine, the organizers selected 10 winners, each of whom received up to UAH 100,000 to develop their own business. The best ideas included unique and original catering establishments, family cafes, mobile coffee shops, and even a restaurant-based mini-hotel. The winners' new, restored, or relocated businesses will contribute to community development and provide jobs.

For reference

"MHP for Communities is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that was launched in 2015. Its main mission is the comprehensive development of communities. The geography of its activities includes 12 regions of Ukraine: more than 700 towns and villages. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has been systematically supporting people in the war zone, Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals and maternity homes, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.

KURATOR is a brand of product solutions for the HoReCa community (restaurants, hotels, catering) developed by MHP. It has a flexible range of products for different types of establishments, business models, staff qualifications and the number of cooks. The KURATOR brand produces more than 100 types of processed products, including chicken, beef, and various culinary solutions. The entire range is created with understanding and compliance with the needs of professional kitchens.