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"We thought we had to hold out for several weeks": HD-group CEO Boris Shestopalov on how the company's enterprises survived the occupation
In the spring, four HD-group enterprises found themselves in the captured territory, but for some time they continued to work under Russian pressure. The CEO of the company, Boris Shestopalov, told how the staff went on shifts during the shelling and why the bread factory in the Kherson region could not resume operations even after the de-occupation.
Which companies are part of HD-group
HD-group is a group of companies that includes grain processing enterprises, factories for the production of bakery and flour products, and a plant for the production of jams.
It was founded in 1998 as a group of companies "Hlibodar", and in 2019 it was transformed into a group of companies HD-group.
Due to the full-scale war in Ukraine, HD-group's losses amounted to 30% of the group's assets and income.
Enterprises of the HD-group company that continue to work:
- TDV "Zaporizhsky bread factory No. 1"
- TDV "Zaporizhsky bread factory No. 3"
- TDV "Zaporizhsky bread factory No. 5"
- LLC "Chernivetsky bread factory"
- SE Agroservice 2000
- LLC "Company "Ukrbakalia"
- LLC "New Ukrainian Food Products Factory"
- "Fita Trade" LLC
- "Agrifood Express" LLC
Enterprises of the HD-group company that are not working due to the war in Ukraine:
- TDV "Berdyansky bread factory"
- TDV "Orikhiv bread factory"
- "Melitopol bread factory" LLC
- "Beryslav Khlebozavod" LLC
On the first day of the full-scale war, Boris Shestopalov was in the UAE at a foodtech conference. He had an important meeting scheduled for February 24th, but the plans changed in an instant on the morning of that day. The sky in Ukraine closed, the entrepreneur could not return home quickly, so he flew to Warsaw.
Boris Shestopaov recalls that at that time almost all thoughts were about the family - his children, with whom he was constantly in touch, would remain in Kyiv. The son lived in Buchi, towards which Russian troops were constantly advancing. "The dramatic situation lasted for several days," the entrepreneur comments succinctly. In the end, the children managed to evacuate to Chernivtsi.
It was not yet possible to cross the border without obstacles to get to Ukraine, so Boris Shestopalov stayed for some time in Poland, from where he coordinated business and conducted volunteer work. First of all, he focused on helping the Zaporizhia Territorial Defense.
"Why Zaporozhye? Because it's my hometown, that's what hurts the most. Besides, many of my relatives are there. Several HD-group enterprises are also located in Zaporizhzhia region, where our employees are located," explains Boris Shestopalov.
Since then, the entrepreneur spent part of his time in Poland, which became the logistical and humanitarian hub of his business, as well as a meeting place with European partners. Currently, he lives in three cities in Ukraine - in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Chernivtsi, where the group's enterprises are located.
HD-group work surrounded by Russian tanks
After the invasion of the Russian Federation, the entire usual structure of the company's activities fell apart. Work planning has become hourly - at the tips of the fingers, as he says.
One of the common problems of Ukrainian business in 2022 is the destroyed supply chains. Boris Shestopalov admits that it was also a sensitive issue for HD-group, but not so critical, because the companies have already gained some experience in overcoming such challenges during COVID-19. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the company already had a Trade Hub — a separate purchasing center that supplied the group's factories with all the necessary raw materials.
At the same time, the pandemic could not prepare business for the seizure of Ukrainian territories. In the first month of the invasion, four HD-group enterprises were under occupation: the Ukrbakalia company in the village of Shevchenko in the Kyiv region, the Berdyansky and Melitopol bakery in the Zaporizhzhya region, as well as the Berislavsky bakery in the Kherson region.
