Svitlana Coppola | Smachno: a small slice of Ukraine in London

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of her home country in 2022, her sister Iryna, a former bank employee in Ukraine, and father Serhii found refuge in London. It was here that the sisters came up with a great way of raising awareness about their home country and turning a love of eating and cooking into a business venture. We caught up with Svitlana over a cup of coffee at the EBRD

The idea for a business venture came unexpectedly, not long after Svitlana’s father and sister had been forced to flee Lysychansk, Ukraine, in early 2022. One evening, in London, they were eating traditional Ukrainian dumplings, pelmeni, when they decided to make them again the next day and invite some friends for dinner. Their guests enjoyed them so much that they suggested the sisters set up a business. It made Svitlana and Iryna wonder whether there might be demand. And so it began.

First, their friends started ordering their pelmeni, then friends of friends. Demand continued to grow and they diversified their product range, adding blinis, syrniki (cheese pancakes) and traditional Ukrainian stuffed peppers. Naming the venture was easy. Smachno, “delicious” in Ukrainian, was the word that best described their food.

Next, they created an Instagram account. “We saw we were getting more and more followers and that gave us the confidence,” Svitlana says. The sisters recently launched the Smachno website and the orders started pouring in.

Svitlana’s former colleagues at the Bank describe her as entrepreneurial. Before the war, she had a few rental properties in Donetsk. Prior to the invasion in 2014, business was booming. Now, she is not even sure if the houses are there anymore. Svitlana’s eyes well up when she speaks of Donetsk; it was there she married her English husband in 2008.

She also used to visit Ukraine twice a year with her British-born children and nurture their love of the Ukrainian culture. They are proud to be half-Ukrainian and, even though they are young, they understand the atrocities Ukraine is suffering. Svitlana remains hopeful that they can return again one day.

Svitlana’s father, Serhii, takes part in his daughters’ business and helps with the delivery of ingredients. The girls only use high-quality, authentic ingredients to make their products; their supply chain mainly comprises London-based vendors from Eastern Europe.

Drawing on what Svitlana learnt at the EBRD, the sisters make a point of supporting sustainable suppliers, while the majority of their packaging is made of paper sourced from a Ukrainian vendor, thanks to Iryna’s connections in Ukraine. Other skills Svitlana developed during her time at the Bank have been equally helpful in her business. She says with great pride that her exposure to so many different nationalities and the communications acumen she acquired at the EBRD have stood her in great stead in dealing with clients.

Smachno’s clientele is mostly, but not exclusively, London-based people from the EBRD regions. Initially, news of the business spread by word of mouth, and now the sisters have a solid base of regular clients in testament to the high-quality products they produce. They also count a few influencers among their customers, including a former finalist in Miss Ukraine.

Svitlana and Iryna have big plans for Smachno and are already planning its expansion. What was initially a food-based exercise in maintaining a connection with their homeland is fast becoming a venture of organic growth. The sisters put a lot of heart into what they do and work well as a team, juggling school runs, preparation times and deliveries. Their combined skills and passion have undoubtedly set them on the road to success and they tell us that, despite their heavy schedule, it gives them a lot of satisfaction.

They “would love to become the leading producer of pelmeni and varenyki in London and open a café/deli one day where consumers can indulge in the cooked version of their products too,” Svitlana says.