Sweet greetings from Ukraine

December 2-7, 2025. the next international chocolate fair “ChocoІArt” was held in the city of Tübingen. Among the participants was the company “Lukas” – a leading manufacturer of confectionery products in Ukraine.

From a small family business, which from a small local workshop turned into a powerful enterprise and exporter of Ukrainian sweets in over 50 countries, “Lukas” became a real “sweet calling card” of the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, which is a twin city of the German city of Tübingen.
On the eve of the end of the chocolate festival, on the night of December 6-7, a hostile missile attack was carried out on the city of Kremenchuk, which was part of a massive combined strike on Ukraine using unmanned military drones and missiles. But despite all the events and experiences for loved ones and relatives, Kira Bulik (Deputy General Director for Export) and the Lukas team greeted visitors with sincere smiles, a pre-Christmas mood and a professional presentation. Ms. Bulik also found time for our interview.

Ms. Bulik, you and the Lukas team have been visiting the ChocolArt chocolate fair in Tübingen, which is a sister city of the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, for the second year in a row. What has changed this year? What did you treat visitors to this year and did you bring any chocolate novelties with you? How were you greeted by the visitors? What are your personal impressions?

Yes, for the second year in a row we are coming at the invitation of the Tübingen city hall, our partner city, and we are taking part in the fair with great pleasure. In the same bright sweaters that were so memorable to visitors to our pavilion, and with an expanded repertoire of Ukrainian songs, Christmas treats that became a magnet for guests.
The journey took 4 days there, 3 days back. Despite such a long journey and sleepless nights due to the massive attack on our city (we were very worried about our relatives), we worked all 6 days inspired and cheerful!
We were struck by the fact that in 2024 the main visitors were Ukrainians, and our stand became a place of meeting, embracing those who were forced to leave their homeland because of the war. In 2025, there were a lot of Germans who remembered us from last year and were waiting for us! They stood in line to taste our most delicious delicacies in the world, and expressed extraordinary support for our country and the Ukrainian people.
We also had the honor of meeting with representatives of the city hall. It was a very warm and pleasant meeting, and the impressions from the event are the best!

The production and trading company “Lukas”, which has been on the Ukrainian market for 26 years, has gained popularity in many countries of the world (55) with its wide, tasty and high-quality assortment. Does the company’s products meet the strict requirements and quality standards of the EU? And did it take much to change anything in production or packaging for this?

“Lukas” is a brand and a sign of quality not only in Ukraine, but also throughout Europe, because our products can really be found in more than 50 countries around the world. We have all the necessary certificates for production and raw materials to qualitatively present our products on the international stage. And, of course, one of our advantages is flexibility and customer orientation. Since each country has its own taste preferences and requirements for packaging, labeling, therefore, without international quality certificates, changes and adaptation of packaging to a particular market – no way.

In the German confectionery market, there are quite strong local brands (for example, “RitterSport”, “Haribo”, etc.) How does “Lukas” position itself on the German market? Do you use the “Price/Quality” strategy (Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis), and what makes your products unique on the German market?

Currently, we are only taking the first steps in developing the German market. We understand well that there are strong local brands here, and that is why “Lukas” does not enter into direct competition, but forms its own unique niche.
We position ourselves as a brand with a recognizable character that combines European quality, authentic recipes and generous fillings. Yes, we work in the logic of Preis–Leistungs-Verhältnis — we offer high quality for an honest and affordable price. At the same time, our uniqueness lies not only in the price, but also in the taste combinations, textures and the feeling of “completeness of the product” that consumers appreciate.
The chocolate fair “ChocolArt” showed that the German buyer is indeed interested in Ukrainian sweets. After all, it is this emotionality and sincerity of the product that make “Lukas” a noticeable and promising player on the German market.

Does the company “Lukas” plan to expand its range for the German buyer? And what existing products would you draw the attention of local residents to? Is it possible that something was the most popular among visitors to the chocolate fair and was in great demand?

The German market is strategically interesting for us, so yes – we are considering the possibility of gradually expanding and adapting the assortment specifically to the local consumer. But for us, it is important not just to “add new positions”, but to understand what exactly people respond to and what they really like.
The chocolate fair “ChocolArt” became very indicative in this sense. The absolute favorite among visitors was “Sharzan” – the combination of caramel, roasted peanuts and delicate milk glaze caused a real wow effect and constant queues. Guests were also very interested in the candies “Lukasia”, “Tuzya” and Christmas gifts, where the entire range of the company was presented – for Germans it was something new, but at the same time understandable in taste.
Therefore, for us, the German market is primarily about careful acquaintance with the consumer and gradual development. We want to grow with our customers, listening to their preferences and maintaining the tastes and approach for which our products are already appreciated and loved.

Visitors to the fair, both Ukrainians and Germans, highly appreciated your sweets, and where can they find them besides the event? In which chains are sweets, croissants and cookies from the company “Lukas” presented?

It is very valuable for us that during the fair many people came back and asked: “Where can you buy your sweets and croissants in Germany?”

Today, “Lukas” products in Germany can be found primarily in the “Mix Markt” chain – these are ethnic supermarkets, where almost the full range of our products is presented: sweets, cookies, croissants.
We are also open to expanding our presence and are actively working on new collaborations. It is important for us that our products are available in local chains and become understandable and close to a wider range of German consumers. We believe that along with sweets, people also experience Ukrainian culture – warm, sincere, with European traditions. „Lukas“ sweets, through the simple joy of a delicious product, give not only good taste, but also good impressions and warm emotions!

Gatsenko Tetyana for “die kleine”, Schwäbisches Tagblatt

A warm welcome for guests from Kremenchuk at the Tübingen City Hall.
(From left to right: Christopher Blum (Head of the Department of Art, Culture and International Relations), Gundula Schäfer-Vogel (Mayor of Tübingen), Kira Bulik, Jana Garkusha (Manager of Foreign Trade Activities), Stefan Klingebiel (Employee of the Department of Art, Culture and International Relations; responsible for cooperation with the sister city of Kremenchuk)