In the small town of Kobeliaky, Poltava oblast, Iryna (33) opened a coffee shop, which immediately gained the favor of the locals. Iryna tells the story of its creation as follows: “Our TaTySho cafe appeared as a result of the desire to move further while I was on maternity leave. In addition, it was at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In a short time, I developed a plan to open a cafe. My husband had the premises and materials, and at the end of February 2022, my parents and brother, who was a builder, fled from Kyiv for shelter. Thus, together we managed to open a decent place, which was quite unusual for such a local community”.

As a former resident of the capital, Iryna understood what service should look like. She calls “TaTySho” a third-wave coffee shop, similar to those in Kyiv. She used her contacts to train the staff, and she attracted the best specialists in the field. Inspired by her idea, some of them provided consultations on service and maintenance for free. As a result, her newly opened family-friendly space set a new tone for service in the area.

“We often hold children's workshops and cultural evenings. “TaTySho” is a kind of hub for the development of not only our business, but also the community as a whole," the owner enthusiastically shares.

The winter of 2022-2023 appeared to be challenging. Despite a generator, there was not enough power to run the cafe properly. At the same time, assessing the prospects of her business, Iryna was searching for business development programs. She came across Empowering Women Ukraine from the Estonian Refugee Council in Ukraine, as part of the Ukrainian Response Consortium led by Acted and funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

Iryna applied for grant support and pitched her business plan successfully winning an asset-based grant equal to 178,000 UAH. With the funds allocated, the entrepreneur received from Estonian Refugee Council needed equipment:

- a coffee grinder 

- a gas stove,

- a microwave oven,

- a combined frying surface, 

- and a dough mixer. 

This grant support allowed Iryna and her team to expand the menu and hire more staff. Consequently, the number of clients increased as well. “At such a time, the support of organizations is extremely important, as it gives faith that life goes on,” Iryna concludes.