Swiss-based food producer Nestle has partnered with Starbucks, a U.S. chain of coffee houses, to bring more coffee products to Ukraine, according to news agency Interfax-Ukraine.
The international giants will launch a new line of coffee products to sell in Ukrainian stores, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Jan. 6. The companies haven’t specified what kind of products they will be offering on the local market.
The companies said they would unveil more details on Jan. 15.
Nestle couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
In February 2020, Nestle and Starbucks launched a new range of Starbucks coffee products in grocery stores in the U.S. It included cold brew coffee concentrate and blends of Starbucks coffee with vitamins. Back then, the companies announced they would distribute these products worldwide.
Talks over the entry of Starbucks in Ukraine have been going on for years, with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko promising to bring the brand to Ukraine’s capital back in 2018. Starbucks, however, said it had no plans to open its business in Ukraine.
Yulia Kovaliv, former head of the National Investment Council, said at the time that Starbucks products were too expensive for Ukrainian consumers and the market was too small for such a big company.
Nestle, which employs over 400,000 people worldwide, has operated in Ukraine since 1994. Here, it hires about 5,500 people. In 2019, Nestle Ukraine generated $440 million in revenue.
In Ukraine, the company operates two warehouses and three factories: in Lutsk, in Kharkiv — the only instant noodle factory for its products the company has in Europe — and Lviv, where it produces chocolate products.
