In the words of entrepreneur Hanna Chumak: ‘We don’t just strive to keep up with the market — we work to carve out our own niche by offering genuinely unique items’

Hanna and her husband Andrii are an internally displaced family from Bakhmut. Together with their three children — and even their cat Marsik, who was rescued by Hanna’s parents — they evacuated to the village of Velyka Bahachka, Poltava region, where they moved into a rented house to rebuild their lives. They set up a workshop for crafting wooden products in one of the outbuildings on the property. Hanna took on the role of manager for their family business, while Andrii designs models, develops product designs, and oversees production, continuing the craft of his grandfather, who was a skilled carpenter. About the family business of making wooden products — read in the story of Hanna Chumak.

‘We lived in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. We had our own home and a large family. On May 19, 2022, after a Russian missile struck the city center, we decided we could no longer risk our children's lives and made the difficult decision to leave our home. We relocated to the Poltava region. Relocating people is not the same as transplanting a garden. We lost everything: our home, our jobs, our belongings, and the connections and community we had built. All of it is gone. 

Our family, in general, has a resilient and truly entrepreneurial spirit. We’ve tested various business ideas. As internally displaced people, we now have to work several times harder just to partially restore the standard of living we once had, let alone improve it. In the summer, I saw an announcement on social media that the NGO ‘Studio of Public Women's Initiatives’ supported by UN Women Ukraine and The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) was inviting women to join the project ‘Time to Act’. It resonated with me deeply, so I joined. I simply joined because, truly, it was time to act! After one of the training sessions, we had a discussion at home. I know that my husband has ‘gifted hands’. His grandfather, father, and he have always crafted everything by hand, and his grandfather was, in fact, a professional carpenter. It’s a family tradition, so we decided that working with wood would be the focus of our business.

We presented our project and received a grant for equipment. We converted an outbuilding in the yard into a workshop and began working. For us, this project and the equipment we were able to purchase with the support of UN Women Ukraine and The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) truly marked the start of our family business.  

Currently I handle business connections and study market trends to determine what’s selling and what’s in demand. For instance, I’m currently building a partner network with small shops to sell wooden souvenirs featuring local symbols. I also manage finances, look for funding opportunities, and organize orders. And my husband designs sketches, selects raw materials, and adapts blueprints to create products. Our production process is highly automated and computer-controlled, enabling us to engage in semi-serial production.  

Competition is certainly strong, but that’s a good sign — it means there’s demand for these products. Our approach is to differentiate ourselves through a few key aspects. While many talk about quality, we put in extra effort, genuinely take responsibility for it, and meticulously monitor every stage of production. As well as we’re always searching for original ideas. In every project, we incorporate something of our own: original details, distinctive milling, unique patterns, or other elements that give our products character and individuality. This way, we don’t just strive to keep up with the market — we work to carve out our own niche by offering genuinely unique items. 

Our business dream is to own our own premises or expand the space we currently rent, equipping it with the necessary machinery. This is just the beginning, but in the long term, we aspire to establish a fully functional and efficient workshop that benefits the community by creating jobs and contributing to the state through taxes. It’s important for us to achieve a stable income while staying appealing to consumers’.

Read the full story: https://www.shemade.marieclaire.ua/en/portfolio/hanna-chumak-craft-workshop-of-wooden-products-mazha/

The project 'She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine' was created by Marie Claire Business Ukraine and UN Women Ukraine funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). WPHF mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

Photos: UN Women Ukraine/Nadiia Berska