«This tendency is working.» How did the Alternative coffee shop collect ₴1.3 million for the army at thematic markets in Odesa?

Four years ago, the couple Iryna and Vadim created their own business from scratch — the «Alternative» coffee shop in Odesa. Currently there are two of them. They opened their first coffee shop in 2020, and the second one two years later. But the start was not easy: the opening of the first coincided with the lockdown due to COVID-19, and the second — with the beginning of a full-scale war. It was difficult to work in such conditions, but they managed to resist.

Today, «Alternative» is one of the favorite places of Odesa residents. Almost every week, thematic markets are held in coffee shops, where visitors can buy sweets, drinks and other products. And all the money earned goes to help the Ukrainian army.

NikVesti spoke with the owners of «Alternative» about the work of coffee shops during the war, their corporate policy, socially responsible business, blackouts and markets as a way to help the Armed Forces.

«This path is very valuable to us.» How did Alternative coffee shops appear?

«Four and a half years ago, we didn't even think how much our lives would turn around,» admits Iryna at the beginning of the conversation. During the first six months of operation of the coffee shop on Filatov Street, only a couple and their two sisters worked there. It was not easy, because the opening of the coffee shop coincided with the quarantine that began after the coronavirus pandemic.

«We signed the lease agreement on Filatov Street on February 1, 2020, and the coronavirus began. It was not very pleasant, a very big unknown, but we persevered. Our beginning was spiritual. We did absolutely all the processes: from cleaning to assortment. They spent the night there or in the car. It was a bit difficult, but this path is very valuable for us. Our guests feel that we have put a lot of soul here,» Iryna shared.

Later, they managed to form the «Alternative» team, teach it everything, and already a year after the opening «to be not in the processes, but above the processes», notes Vadym. This, he explains, makes it possible to see more global things and think more strategically.

After that, the couple decided to open a second coffee shop. And already on February 1, 2022, they signed an agreement to lease the premises to Williams, and a full-scale war began within a month.

Their responsibilities in the business were distributed naturally, the couple says. Vadym deals with more strategic issues of the development of coffee shops, and Iryna deals with their creative content and creating an atmosphere.

«We probably closed our strong areas. I felt my strong side, because I am a more systematic person, more about the future. I can look at the month, half a year ahead, and it's not difficult for me. On the contrary, it brings pleasure. And Iryna is about the present: the whole atmosphere, everything that is happening here and now, is completely her responsibility. I deal with more financial matters and more strategic ones. But we agree on everything together. Probably, this is the coolest duo that can be expected if we are talking about business,» Vadym shared.

Blackouts and shelling of Odessa. The work of coffee shops in the conditions of war

Even in the first days of the full-scale war, Iryna and Vadym took their team to their homes in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. «Alternative» returned to work only a few weeks after that - the initiator was, in fact, the team, Iryna shared.

«It so happened that most of our team was from my hometown — Kryve Ozero. On the first day of the war, we packed the whole team into a car and brought them home, some were brought on the way. We were not in Odesa at all for three weeks, but two people who remained in the city said that everything is fine here, let's go to work. We decided to give it a try. Most of the team came back with us because they trusted us. About a month later, we finished repairs on Viliams Street and opened here on May 26.

It was actually a very correct decision, because people really lacked a place where they could come and feel a little bit of stability and peace — what they felt before the war,» said Iryna.

Today, «Alternative» coffee shops are ready for the challenges of business operation in wartime conditions, because it has two powerful generators.

«In fact, we managed not to fall into the trap of the market, when it dictated to us the conditions, when and for how much to buy generators. After all, when the first power outages occurred in Kharkiv — it was under fire the most at that time — I ordered generators and we already had electricity for the first power outages in Odesa. But these generators were small. At the time, I did not understand the scale of the blackout. I thought that they would disconnect for 2-4 hours. But in November, I remember, we actually had no light for 5 days, not a single minute. And then we realized that we need something more industrial in terms of generators. Therefore, already in the summer, when the blackouts stopped, we brought two generators from Turkey — they can work continuously for 24 hours. So now we practically do not feel discomfort,» Vadym shared.

In general, the cost of fuel for generators per hour of operation of two coffee shops and a workshop costs about 1 thousand hryvnias. «Hard? Yes. But you can survive,» he added.

During shutdowns, the «Alternative» coffee shop always gathers many visitors, because everyone can come there not only to drink coffee, but also to work, charge a laptop or phone.

«We have become a kind of point of invincibility for the whole district. We had just a mountain of phones with chargers here. Everyone had to work and we understood that — we didn't forbid anyone. Everyone warmed up, drank, ate, recharged. It was really difficult, but it felt like we were saving each other,» says Iryna.

Despite such a large number of visitors, the income of coffee shops did not increase, as it might seem, emphasized Vadym.

«Super easy math. When a person has light at home, he ran, drank coffee, ate dessert and ran errands. This is a table occupied for 10 minutes. And a person who has no light for 10 hours sat down and sat for all these 10 hours. And no matter how responsible she is, no matter how good she is at business, she simply won't eat those 10 desserts. That's why it's a bit of a misconception that we earn more when there is no light in the area,» he explained.

«Alternative» independently prepares desserts for its coffee shops

Already during the war, «Alternative» faced dishonesty of suppliers, the owners shared. Because of this, the coffee shop had to open its own confectionery shop, he added. This helps them to be independent from suppliers.

«These were absolutely either irresponsible people or limited responsibility. For example, we order a specific line of desserts, work on it, take photos, send its composition to the team for study, form a price policy. And very often it happened that at the final stage, when we have already launched and are selling desserts for a week, the suppliers tell us that they will raise the price.

They also brought us products of the same quality for testing, and completely different ones are brought for sale. For example, a tube with condensed milk was once filled only to the edges, and the middle was empty. This happened all the time,» Vadym said.

Since it was important for the couple to maintain their reputation and the trust of their visitors, two years ago they decided to open their own pastry shop. They also currently make custom cakes.

«To say that the confectionery shop is super easy, and that we didn't fakapil there at all, then no. In the first six months, there were probably more facaps than just normal stories. As something did not burn, something crooked arrived. It was truly a disaster. But, here, the idea arose in order to become more stable for ourselves and more responsible to the guests. In about half a year of operation of the workshop, we reached the normal quality of products,» added the co-owner of the coffee shop.

After that, the owners of «Alternative» decided to open a procurement shop as well. It is needed in order to relieve the work of the bar, kitchen and pastry shop, as well as to speed up the speed of serving dishes to visitors.

«When designing both cafes on Filatov and Viliams Streets, we did not really understand the ratio of the number of seats in the hall to the ratio of the kitchen and warehouse. That is, now we definitely understand that we have problems with the kitchen area. And there is simply no way to expand capacity here. That's why we decided to create a separate workshop, which will relieve the work of the kitchen, bar, and pastry shop,» Vadym said.

Thematic corporate events and team vacations in Spain

When asked what is the most difficult thing in this business, the couple said «people» at the same time. Actually, it was during the war that «Alternative» faced a shortage of personnel. Iryna and Vadym say that this is primarily due to the fact that many people are leaving, and it is generally very difficult to find boys for work.

«Before, we had more guys in the team. We are an institution that works until ten in the evening, and people are different. Therefore, when there is at least one guy on shift, he can help in something,» added Iryna.

However, the «Alternative» team is always looking for its people. «To pick up a great team, grow it and make it convey at least 50% of how we feel to our guests is really a huge job,» says Vadym.

Before joining the team, candidates undergo a paid internship that lasts from one to two weeks.

«We hire people without experience, but with great desire. Because now there is a really big crisis in people. We pay for internships. It is super symbolic that a person can eat, come and go from work for this day at least. We pay because there are actually people who now find it difficult to study for two weeks and not receive money for it,» the owners say.

Currently, two coffee shops employ up to 20 people, all of whom are registered as sole traders (individual entrepreneurs, — note) and pay taxes for their work.

Today, the «Alternative» team is made up of people who are passionate about their work, says Iryna. She calls her employees the company's greatest asset.

«It is important for us what kind of people will be with us in the team. We have specific values: kindness, humanity and honesty. Ambition and purposefulness are still very important to me. We hire such people. We have quite interesting interviews and a rather intensive internship, where you can learn more about a person.

Of course, we were wrong about people more than once. But these people, as a rule, do not stay in the company for a long time. Because they can't — they don't find like-minded people and that's all,» Iryna said.

In general, the owners pay a lot of attention to the corporate policy of «Alternative». For example, after each working day, they pay for the team's transportation home. «For example, there are girls who are afraid to go home alone at 10-11 o'clock in the evening. That's why we organize transportation,» explained Iryna.

For holidays and special events, the couple rents cottages and organizes themed parties there so that the team can relax and unwind. On such days, all «Alternative» coffee shops work a shortened day. And recently, a trip to Spain was organized for the employees of the team, who recently showed the best work results: to the cities of Barcelona and Sagaro.

«We must be ready.» Is the Alternative available to everyone?

In the summer, the «Alternative» team underwent training on providing services to people with disabilities. This should help improve the quality of service provision to groups of people with limited mobility, says co-owner Iryna.

«We are thinking about it, because now society has to prepare for the fact that there will be many soldiers, war veterans, who will be with disabilities. And I think that it's not that they will be pleased, we have to be ready for it,» she said.

At the same time, the owners are thinking about converting the infrastructure of the coffee shop on Filatov Street for the entry of people with disabilities.

«We are talking and thinking about how it can be done on Filatov Street. If here, on Viliams Street, there is an entrance and you can get to us — it is not a problem, but there it is more difficult. And we also have bells everywhere: if necessary, we can take orders. At the expense of inclusiveness, this is the most we can do. Because if you take, for example, the toilet on Filatov, then it is impossible to rearrange it there. And on Viliams, it is only necessary to rebuild it into one big and inclusive one,» said Iryna.

How did the coffee shop turn into a volunteer headquarters?

A socially responsible business in today's realities should not only pay taxes, but also support any volunteer movement, Vadym is sure. Therefore, «Alternative» supports various volunteer initiatives, and during the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP, they organized such an initiative independently. People took all kinds of aid to the coffee shop on Filatov Street, which were then taken to Kherson in the «Alternative» work van.

«It was completely unexpected for us. It was not a conscious choice. We definitely knew we had to do something, but we didn't think it would be on this scale. I think that social networks and reposts contributed — information spread very quickly. Many people know us and there is a certain level of trust. That's why it really turned into a headquarters: the entire coffee shop was just filled with humanitarian workers,» Iryna recalls.

In order to quickly collect and package the humanitarian aid, it was necessary to temporarily stop the work of the «Alternative» office and involve a team in this process. «We needed hands,» says Vadim. After all, there was so much humanitarian aid that it didn't even fit in the premises of the coffee shop. It even had to be stored outside, he recalls. The security agency, which, in fact, protects the coffee shop, helped «Alternative» with the protection of the humanitarian woman free of charge.

«At some point, we realized that we did not have time to take out. On the first day, we drove by ourselves in our work car. Then they were taken away by the military, with whom we were in contact for quite a long time,» Vadym said.

The owners of «Alternative» were helped to solve this problem by their friends — Oleksii and Iryna, who are the owners of a bread factory in the Odesa region. They provided a 10-ton truck to transport the humanitarian aid. «And we were finally able to pick up a lot of everything and take it away at once,» added Iryna.

People even brought money to the coffee shop, Vadim said. In three days, it was possible to collect 300 thousand hryvnias. With these funds, «Alternative» purchased a boat with a rigid frame for rescuers of the State Emergency Service and two reconnaissance drones. Another drone — «Baba Yaha», with a load capacity of up to 100 kilograms, was purchased in cooperation with the «Wave-91» volunteer center.

«As for the meeting, it seems to me that this is not just our initiative, it is a certain duty of ours. Because, it seems to me, every citizen with social responsibility should understand that it is all in our hands. Our victory is giving and helping,» Iryna shared.

Markets helped to increase the amount of donations almost 5 times

For almost three years, «Alternative» has been organizing themed markets, all proceeds from the products of which are directed to collections for the Ukrainian army. Such markets take place almost every week, where you can buy sweets, interesting drinks, as well as things: embroidered clothes, jewelry, dresses and much more.

«We invested a certain amount of money in these markets, which we could simply hand over for collection. We invested and multiplied them. We baked a bunch of pastries to make x3 or x5. We have this opportunity and we try not to miss it.

In fact, over such a long period, it has become more difficult for people to donate. They want to, but it's nicer when you get something for it. You ate a pie and helped. This trend is working now, and we are adapting,» said co-owner of «Alternative» Iryna.

Thematic markets usually take place in collaboration with other Odesa institutions.

«Recently, these are just Odesa institutions that are friendly to us and close in terms of values, business vision and mood. We offer them. I go to everyone, talk to everyone and say «let's do to the market». Then we already communicate, agree, choose the format and that's it. It's not easy, but it's interesting for people,» says Iryna.

In general, for the entire time, it was possible to collect 1.3 million hryvnias for the army at the thematic markets. On average, it is possible to collect 20-30 thousand hryvnias in one or two days of markets.

«But if, for example, we collect for EW (means of radio-electronic warfare, — note), and it costs 240 thousand hryvnias, then we need to make several markets to collect this money. The collection is going hard, but slowly,» says Iryna.

«Alternative» directs all collected funds only to verified fees of Ukrainian defenders. Often, these are relatives or guests of coffee shops who are currently at the frontline and personally ask for help.

«Unfortunately, one relative we helped is no longer there. We are in touch with our regular guests who are fighting. That is, these are people whom we definitely know, whom we definitely trust,» added Iryna.

However, the format of the markets will change somewhat in the fall, she says. Now more tastings and training will be held in the coffee shops, with all proceeds going to the collection as well.

Why does «Alternative» refuse the franchise?

The owners of «Alternative» have repeatedly received offers to purchase a coffee shop franchise, but they have not yet accepted such an offer. They have not yet made a final decision on this matter.

«We didn't even think about it before. Why was it rejected immediately? Because it's really not that simple. When you understand that someone can buy and treat it as just a business, and you grew and nurtured it like your own child, then it's not so simple. We are actually at work every day except weekends. I am sure that many people will not be able to do the same. And we are not interested in losing our reputation in order to make money from the franchise once. Because it is much more expensive for us than just money,» says Iryna.

In the future, «Alternative» is still considering the franchise option, but has its own vision of how it should work, she says.

«It should be with a precise approach, with control and so on. Because it will help us scale and grow faster, let's say, expand our brand,» the co-owner clarified.

In general, the spouses are satisfied with the level that «Alternative» managed to achieve, but add that there is always room for growth.

«If you go back now to 2020 and look at today, I'm really happy, I couldn't have expected it. And if you look at it from today, there are always areas, moments that you want to improve, somewhere something doesn't suit you. But it's probably more about small things than massively. Therefore, globally yes, but there is work to be done,» says co-owner Vadym.

For those who want to open their own coffee shop, the co-owner of «Alternative» advises «not to be afraid, to try and not to deviate from your values, to invest all your time in this business until it succeeds.»

«People really feel the energy. If she is clean with good intentions, then it will definitely work out,» added Iryna.

And it is also important to balance work and rest, Vadym added. This, he says, will help the future leader «preserve himself to help himself and everyone else in the future.»

«If you feel that you already have 40% charge, then go to the pool on the weekend or go to your loved ones. I haven't had a single day in 4 years where I stood up and said, oh, I redid all the work, I don't have it. This simply does not happen. That's why it's super important to rest,» he added.

Yuliia Boichenko, NikVesti