Yaroslav and Oksana Izviekov never dreamed that Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds would saunter into their little café in the Welsh city of Wrexham. They never expected him to invite them to attend a Wrexham AFC soccer match and that they would sit next to the co-owner of the club. They were pleasantly shocked and elated after being featured in an episode of the sports documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 destroyed the Izviekovs’ plans of opening a café in their hometown of Chortkiv in the Ternopil region of Ukraine. The couple ran their own coffee stand and was in the process of renovating their first ever coffee shop when Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of their country. They had their own apartment, owned two cars, went to church on Sundays and spent quality time with their parents.
Everything really changed for the couple when Russian forces bombed the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a few months into the war. The couple decided to flee their home in search of safety for themselves and their three children. They packed all of the essentials they could fit into three suitcases and left everything else behind.
After learning that authorities in Wales, UK were accepting Ukrainian immigrants, the Izviekovs decided to relocate there. The family of five lived in a hotel room for seven months before finding a house. Yaroslav found a catering job with Airbus and was fortunate enough to qualify for government assistance.
The couple bravely decided to pursue their dream of opening their own coffee shop, but this time in Wrexham. It took months before they found a location, completed the renovation on their own and learned how to run a business in a foreign country.
Since opening in September 2024, their café has grown significantly, in large part due to the football team’s success which has boosted the local economy.
The couple was surprised and honored to be featured in an episode of the popular television show. They felt it was recognition not only of their hard work, but also of the Ukrainian community in Wrexham.
In April, Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds stopped by the café and invited the Izviekovs to a game after finding out they had never been to one. Yaroslav said he was grateful for the gesture, explaining how customers like Mr. Reynolds have shown their kindness and support from the first day the café opened, stopping in to say hello or trying some of the homemade Ukrainian baked goods and washing them down with a cup of gourmet coffee.
The episode “High Hopes” rhetorically asks if big dreams are worth the risk for the football club in the city of Wrexham. The team’s other co-owner, Rob McElhenney definitively provides an answer as the episode explores the topic of making risky choices. It uses the couple as one example, noting that Yaroslav and Oksana fled their homeland, moved to Wales and started a business there, even though 60 percent of food and beverage startups fail in the first year of business.
Their bravery and resilience stand out in the episode. As the show highlights the Izviekovs’ story, it also paints a broad picture of Wrexham and Wales before drawing back to the football club, showing that success for the football club has also had an impact on the local community, including the Izviekovs.
What was once a mining town, Wrexham has seen its identity evolve as a result of its professional football team and the growth of the city’s local businesses. By focusing on the Zerno café, the episode “High Hopes” highlights how the city has taken risks to grow, along with its football team and also independent of it.
Zerno, a Ukrainian café, opened in Wrexham on the corner of (ironically enough) Hope and High streets. Any fear that its owners had of not getting customers quickly disappeared after it became clear there was immediate support from the local community. The café now has many regular customers, including Ryan Reynolds, some of whom stop by every day.
As Yaroslav Izviekov said toward the end of the television segment: “The location on Hope Street is a good sign for us.”
Zerno Café earns Nation of Sanctuary Award
Zerno Café mixes Ukrainian distinctiveness with a modern café setting. Many of the baked goods have a Ukrainian flavor, among them medovyk, Kyiv cake and fruit-filled pancakes. Customers can sip popular coffees and original creations like the Bumblebee. The Izviekovs update their menus seasonally and strive for original and local offerings.
Zerno Café is more than just a spot for coffee and pastry. Yaroslav and Oksana are usually there, pouring, slicing and commiserating with their regulars. Customers come for a hot beverage and a snack, but also for the ambience and camaraderie. The café has grown into a cultural meeting place, hosting fundraisers, chess tournaments and a children’s art exhibition. Zerno has held Sunday school sessions for displaced Ukrainian families and creative workshops like traditional Ukrainian painting.
The Izviekovs were fortunate to receive support from the Welsh government’s Super Sponsor Program and business consultation from Business Wales. An additional supply of strength has come from the local Wrexham community, whose warm welcome and boost have helped them grow their enterprise.
Earlier this year, Zerno Café earned recognition in the Business and Innovation category of the Nation of Sanctuary Awards, a national award that celebrates kindness, shining a well-deserved spotlight on people, organizations and communities that are working to benefit the city. For Yaroslav and Oksana, the honor was profound. From their perspective, arriving in Wales with only a couple of suitcases and their three sons, they didn’t just rebuild their lives; they succeeded in creating a space that inspires and uplifts others.
Yaroslav refers to the cultural identity at the center of Zerno – the café’s name, menu, music and even the Ukrainian décor of wooden furniture and wheat decorations – as his family’s form of cultural diplomacy.
What’s paramount above all else, according to Yaroslav, is to “preserve the soul of Zerno: warmth, quality and sincerity.”
The word “zerno” in Ukrainian means grain, and it symbolizes a deeply personal significance – potential, growth and resilience – the exact traits the Izviekovs utilized to rebuild their lives after fleeing their native land.
Zerno Café is living proof that something amazing can grow from a small seed, a bit of grain, if properly cultivated with a dream, due diligence and lots of heart.