&JOY is a Ukrainian company offering plant-based desserts made from nuts, seeds, and fruit. The brand’s entire range is free of gluten and refined sugar.
A huge selection of over 100 products is available, such as cakes, cheesecakes, candy bars, cookies, and brownies. Examples include the strawberry yogurt cake, peanut nougat bar, cherry brownies, and passionfruit cheesecake.
&JOY has partnerships with more than 120 coffee shops in Kyiv and the wider region, and the desserts are also available direct-to-consumer. The brand claims to have sold over 110,000kg of products in the past four years.
The desserts can be ordered from &JOY’s website. They are shipped frozen and can be kept in the freezer for up to 180 days.
Plant-based Ukrainian brands
Many Ukrainian plant-based producers have continued to operate despite the current conflict in the country. These include Vitmark, a manufacturer of plant-based milks and juices that exports to numerous countries globally.
Green Go, a Ukrainian alt meat startup, has continued to develop its plant-based shrimp, salmon burgers, calamari, and whole cuts. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Aquafaba.space launched a crowdfunding campaign for its egg white replacer last year.
ProVeg research indicates that the conflict is posing challenges for plant-based brands, but suggests that many companies are collaborating to help overcome these difficulties.
“It’s clear for all of us to see that the war is having a devastating effect on the lives of many people in Ukraine,” said Stephanie Jaczniakowska-McGirr, International Head of Food Industry and Retail at ProVeg. “The war has also had a major impact on the plant-based sector, which is facing challenges in terms of ingredient supply, although we know that this will affect the food industry as a whole and not just plant-based companies. It is good to see that companies are joining forces to overcome these challenges.”
