A small bakery in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine continues to bake fresh bread amid shelling and power cuts to keep its community strong – thanks to the EU’s support
Nataliia opens the door with a welcoming smile. As we step into a small room, the warmth of the ovens and the inviting smell of freshly baked bread envelop us. Shelves are packed from floor to ceiling with loaves cooling, soon to be wrapped and delivered as humanitarian aid to villages near the frontline.
Founded in 1998, this bakery is a beloved family business. Over nearly 3 decades, it has weathered many storms, but none as severe as the last 3 years of full-scale war.
‘Regardless of alarms and airstrikes, we kept working. At the war's outset, fighting was just 30 kilometres away, and it was deafening’, says baker Olena. ‘Other suppliers from neighbouring areas were blocked by military forces, leaving our bakery as the sole provider of bread to our district.’
‘It was just the 2 of us baking over a thousand loaves a day. We were terrified of getting hit in the bakery or on our way home from work’, adds her colleague Svitlana.
Svitlana has been working in this bakery for 20 years. She is proud and happy to help people and believes that you have to put your soul into your work and love what you do.
After the Ukrainian army regained control of nearby territories in March 2022, fighting persisted further away. Many residents and commercial retailers fled to safer parts of the country, significantly reducing orders and, consequently, shifts and wages.
‘My family moved to Veselynove because there were no jobs left in our village. A few men worked on farms. That was it. We had to sell our house there. But even here, job options are limited. I'm grateful to have this work’, says Natalia, another baker.
Faced with dwindling orders and wages, the owners of the Veselynove bakery considered shutting down. Then, in April last year, the bakery started collaborating with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which delivers food assistance to more than 1 million people in frontline regions of Ukraine each month, with support from the European Union. Regular orders of 4,000 loaves per week from WFP helped this small business stay afloat and retain its employees.
The Russian invasion almost forced this bakery to close. But thanks to support from the European Union and the WFP, the ovens are back on and the shelves are filled with freshly baked bread every day.
Natalia shows us the meticulous bread-making process. Each time, it takes about an hour and a half. Raw materials are prepared, loaded into a large dough mixer, and left to rise. Bakers then carefully divide and shape the dough into loaves, load them onto baking sheets and transfer them to a special proofing cabinet to rise further. Then the loaves go into the oven and come out with a golden tan.
‘You know, I love my job’, says baker Olena, as she shapes a loaf without pause. ‘We don't use any chemical additives – just salt, water, sugar, and yeast. Our bread is incredibly tasty.’
Every loaf of bread carries the dedication of these women, whose hands shape it with care. Baked with love and devotion, it brings warmth and hope to every home.
WFP’s partnership with small bakeries in frontline regions helps sustain small businesses while ensuring Ukrainians in frontline regions continue to find one of their most prized staples – khlib bread.
In the nearby Luibomyrivka village, Nadiia holds a young boy by the hand – Mark – as she waits in line. She came with her grandson to collect a food box and fresh bread.
‘Our house was burned down’, she says. ‘The bread is very helpful.’
Thanks to the European Union and other donors, WFP distributed over 74 million loaves of bread in frontline regions of Ukraine in the last 3 years of full-scale war. Recently, more than 60% of WFP’s bread supply came from 18 small bakeries contracted in frontline regions – helping to keep the local economy alive in areas most affected by the war.
‘We're glad we can help people’, says baker Svitlana. She dreams of an end to the war, of working without power cuts and expanding the bakery's assortment.
The bakery operates in 3 shifts, employing a total of 14 people including drivers. Since partnering with the WFP, over 130,000 of their loaves have been delivered to frontline areas of Mykolaiv and Kherson.
This summer, the Veselynove bakery plans to expand – to open new, more spacious workshops to scale up their production.
