Over 25 product varieties are currently being sold in the international supermarket chain Lidl as part of the European Shelves for Ukrainian Producers project.
According to a Facebook post by the USAID Economic Support for Ukraine project, Ukrainian exporters have been able to place products from Ukraine on Lidl's shelves—such as cherry vareniki, sunflower halva, cream honey, and more.
These products are being promoted as part of Lidl's Eastern European Week, one of their well-known "Flavors of the World" campaigns, which has previously featured Italian, Japanese, and Greek foods.
With USAID support, over eight months, Kwayga—a company specializing in connecting supermarket buyers in Europe with global suppliers—has conducted hundreds of webinars and organized dozens of commercial meetings between EU buyers and Ukrainian suppliers.
"This has led to the signing of contracts with major EU supermarkets, including 5 contracts with Lidl Ireland, 1 contract with Aldi Ireland for 40,000 units of honey, and 1 contract with a prominent honey company for 3 orders totaling approximately €120,000," noted USAID.
Based on the results of this week’s sales, Lidl Ireland may repeat the promotion every four to six months and potentially sign a long-term contract. Negotiations with other major supermarkets in Europe are also ongoing.
