Taste Ukraine project kicks off in Washington to promote Ukrainian products in global markets
Ruslana Rymarska, the initiator of the Taste Ukraine project and the President of the Ukrainian Food Manufacturers Alliance (UFMA), shared plans and expectations with regard to this initiative in an exclusive commentary to Ukrinform.
According to Rymarska, Washington is just the start, and presentations will be held in other cities in North America, as well as on other continents, “to show that Ukraine is capable of not only growing, but also processing, creating, and impressing.”
On September 16, 2025, the event took place at the Ukrainian House in Washington, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. It featured 30 domestic companies, including large enterprises, such as agro-technology company MHP, vegetable oil producer PC Oliyar, innovative biotechnology company Enzym Group, Meest Group, and others. Overall, 228 products of Ukraine’s food industry were showcased.
As explained by Rymarska, Washington became the first event location, because the idea of this project is to organize platforms for B2B (Business-to-Business) communication, as well as meetings of stakeholders in countries that are strategic partners – “where we can fill the gaps, where there are markets.”
Hence, in the U.S. capital, according to Rymarska, “a wave is being created, which then needs to be filled with life and further actions.”
In this context, the UFMA sees North America, namely the United States and Canada, as the markets of greatest interest to Ukrainian manufacturers. She also noted that American retailers, importers, and distributors were invited to the event, but not all of them could come.
“Some of them wrote that they couldn’t be here, but they were interested, so we agreed to hold online calls,” the project initiator added.
In the future, similar presentations are expected to take place in several other cities in the United States, such as Houston, San Francisco and Chicago. In these regions, American production facilities are concentrated, and Ukraine can and should establish a dialogue with them, Rymarska said.
In December 2025, in her words, a visit to Canada will be made as part of Rebuild Ukraine Business Conference 2025.
“We must periodically communicate with stakeholders, show ourselves, and thus establish trusting relationships and partnerships,” Rymarska explained.
At the same time, cooperation with Sweden has been initiated. Currently, the UFMA’s members are working on this project, and some of them are already planning to sign contracts.
“We have also launched a program to enter the German market, which is one of the strategic markets of the European Union, where we are starting to build a dialogue,” Rymarska noted.
Overall, according to her, the focus of attention is also on the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Malaysia, which are an interesting market with huge potential for many producers.
A reminder that the Ukrainian Food Manufacturers Alliance (UFMA) unites domestic food producers with a common goal – to promote products made in Ukraine. Moreover, the main vision of the alliance is for customers to learn about Ukraine through high-quality consumer goods on supermarket shelves around the world.
Photo: UFMA, Facebook
