Ukraine’s seafood business: Impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine
A Ukrainian company, Healthy & Wealthy, produces farmed freshwater fish which is then processed into a range of value-added products. These are distributed and sold around the country. Plans for exports to EU countries were brutally interrupted by the war. Eurofish spoke to Evhen Popivshchyi, deputy director for sales and marketing at Healthy & Wealthy.
This is the tenth in a series of articles for the Eurofish Magazine about the operation and survival of seafood businesses in Ukraine during the war.
This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 6 2024
The Ukrainian company Healthy & Wealthy brings together two key entities: Khutir na Okolytsi (A Farm in the Outskirts) LLC and Healthy Foods LLC. Fish farming and processing take place at the former located in the Ivankiv settlement just 60 kilometres from Kyiv. Meanwhile, the trading and marketing operations are handled by the Kyiv-based Healthy Foods trading house. Together, these two branches ensure a seamless integration of production and distribution, delivering high-quality fish products to the market.
Broodstock for several species
During Soviet times, the Ivankiv cooperative was the third-largest freshwater fish farm in the country. However, when Healthy & Wealthy acquired it 10 years ago, the farm was in a state of disrepair. Extensive efforts were required to restore the ponds, clearing them of reeds, and even now, around 20% of the ponds are still being cleaned. The farm spans an impressive 1,000 hectares of water surface and has a perimeter of 28 km.
The main species farmed at Ivankiv include common carp, bighead carp, grass carp, European catfish, and pike. The ponds have a sandy bottom, which helps prevent the muddy or silt flavours often found in freshwater fish. To ensure the superior taste of our fish, explains Mr Popivshchyi, we provide it with natural zooplankton and phytoplankton in addition to palletised feed. This combination contributes to the clean, natural flavour of the fish. The Ivankiv facility has a broodstock, which allows the fish to grow from an egg to market size, and all types of feed are produced locally. Before the war, the farm’s total output reached 700-800 tonnes annually, with common carp comprising about half of this volume. The war has seen production shrink to 500-600 tonnes, while the number of employees has dropped from 40 to 20. Despite these challenges, the company sees the potential for bringing the volumes back to pre-war times.
A gift to Ukrainian households
Understanding the need for higher value-addition and enhanced diversity of their products, Healthy & Wealthy opened a new processing unit in 2021. This unit is able to process imported species in addition to the locally farmed freshwater fish. The management set out to acquire the best equipment available in Europe to fit the production purposes; as a result, the facility is now equipped with modern equipment from Germany, France, and Italy.

Today, Healthy & Wealthy produces over 100 tonnes of product per month, and their range includes salted fish, hot- and cold-smoked fish, fish fillets, seafood in various sauces, semi-finished products like fish burgers, nuggets, and fish cakes, as well as snacks and jerkies. About 30% of the raw material is locally farmed freshwater fish, while the rest are imported species including cod, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, redfish, tuna, shrimps, and mussels. They place special focus on carp: fresh fillets are cut through the flesh ensuring that any annoying bones are not a problem when the fish is cooked—a real blessing for Ukrainian home chefs. Healthy & Wealthy is the only producer of such fillets in a country where carp is by far the most popular local species.
The trading house has its own transportation department that delivers the products to Kyiv. From Kyiv, the partner further distributes the fish around the country: to Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, and regions.
Man proposes and war disposes
As a young, modern, and dynamic company, Healthy and Wealthy was not satisfied to rest on its laurels. The beautiful nature surrounding Ivankiv is a perfect asset for building a resort to attract leisure fishermen and their families – an eco-village with cottages, fishing areas, bicycle and all-terrain vehicle paths, areas for scooters and kayaks, and even a zoo. The war put on hold about 70% of what had been scheduled: only three cottages out of 20 are in place now, though leisure fishing is still an attraction and one of the property’s ponds is designated for this purpose.
The processing activities have also been affected. We intended to extend our product range significantly—we had Napoleonic plans, says Mr. Popivshchyi. We planned to start selling our products not only in Ukraine, but also to countries in Europe. But we had to postpone.
War comes to Ivankiv
Nobody expected the war to reach the Kyiv region as quickly as it did. On the morning of Russia’s invasion, the 24th February 2022, the drivers who were delivering fish to customers in Kyiv called the head office: We cannot get into the city… we see missiles flying, there is a huge traffic jam, and the police have blocked the access to the city. What do we do? While in the morning, there was still hope that they’d be able to make the delivery and avoid failing the customers, by lunchtime it became obvious that none of the fish would go anywhere. The trucks were sent back to Ivankiv, the fish were put in the freezer, and the employees were sent home.
In about 36 hours, Russian troops entered Ivankiv. It became impossible to get to the area physically; however, a phone connection was still available. We saw a Russian tank shooting at your processing plant! – local eyewitnesses told the management. Most likely the plant does not exist anymore. The shots damaged the office building and destroyed two security cars. A week later, the phone connection was lost, and for the next 30 days the head office in Kyiv had no idea what was happening on-site in Ivankiv.
Saving the locals in occupied territories from hunger
Now isolated from Kyiv, the local management in Ivankiv had serious decisions to make. A few days after the invasion, the power supply was cut off. The fish in the farm’s wintering ponds were now at risk due to a lack of aeration and water exchange. At the same time, the local population were running out of food. Before the war, nobody kept large stocks at home, as fresh food was available in the stores; now, when there were no supplies, hunger was becoming a reality.
The farm management made the decision to give the fish to anyone in need. News quickly spread through Ivankiv and its neighbouring villages, and anyone who could trek out to the farm through the March snow. People were queuing, some days more than 1,000 in a line, to get two or three fish each. Meanwhile, volunteers delivered fish to those who could not make it to the farm.
During the early days of the war, the company gave away about 75 tonnes of fish to the locals at no charge. Grateful residents still remember how that fish saved their lives, and the farm became a local legend.
Not all the plans were postponed
After the occupiers were driven out, significant effort was required to restore the processing unit and get the farm operational again. Despite everything they had been through, the company remained committed to its plans to export to Europe.
To access the EU market, producers outside the union must obtain CE marking, a certification that ensures products meet EU safety, health, and environmental standards. We aimed to secure EU export certification, explains Mr. Popivshchyi, as we have over 70 items in our product range, including unique offerings like dumplings and fish cakes made from freshwater fish. We knew we had something special to offer the European market.
While the war complicated the certification process, both local and international auditors—some working remotely—completed their assessments. After about a year, in August 2024, Healthy & Wealthy successfully earned the CE marking, allowing them to market their products in the EU.
Lipstick effect[1]
Reflecting on changes in the consumer market, Mr. Popivshchyi notes that demand for semi-finished products remains steady throughout the year, with a minor decline during the summer months. The war impacted the population’s purchasing power; however, in the big cities like Kyiv, where residents have more disposable income than those in the rural areas, the picture is different. When the conditions worsen—whether due to shellings, blackouts, stress, or limited access to the city infrastructure—people go to supermarkets and buy highly-priced quality products because they need emotional relief. In such moments, delicious food becomes the most affordable and accessible remedy, especially when other means for emotional relief are limited because of the war.
Can a war teach anyone anything?
The war teaches you to value people, to value relationships and emotions, to appreciate even the smallest things you have today. To value time. The war tempers you, it gives you great immunity against challenges. The war is like a jab, adds Mr. Popivshchyi, going through difficulties makes you feel vaccinated against them.”
Aleksandra Petersen,Eurofish
aleksandra@eurofish.dk
[1] The “lipstick effect” is the theory that, during an economic crisis, consumers become more willing to spend money on small indulgences.