Redditch’s Oakland International and Hope4 set up new food and retail support in Ukraine through Moldova

By Sam Pither

24 February 2023

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Oakland International and Hope4 are working together to help Ukrainian producers access the UK retail and foodservice markets through neighbouring Moldova.

The new initiative involving the Redditch-based firm aims to help stimulate economic recovery while tacking poverty and issues caused by war in Ukraine and Moldova.

Hope4 CEO Chris Lomas said: “My wife Zoe and I arrived in Moldova on the 17th February 2021 with an ambition to impact lives affected by poverty and human trafficking. By the morning of the 24th February, Zoe and I were sat having breakfast when the windows started to shake, and the sound of fireworks punctuated the normally quiet community where we lived. War had started, and our lives would never quite be the same again.

“Over the weeks that followed, and with the help of Lea Turner, a LinkedIn trainer, our presence on social media helped raised thousands of pounds, and importantly awareness of the humanitarian crisis unfolding right before us, and significantly attracting the attention of Oakland International Co-Founder and Group CEO Dean Attwell.”

Following exploratory visits to Moldova to meet Chris and his team, Oakland International through much negotiation and determination succeeded in gaining agreement to channel the remainder of the Mail Force Ukrainian food aid parcels to Hope4 in Moldova.

Dean Attwell said: “From the minute I touched down in Moldova I was impressed by how Chris and Hope4 were directly impacting the lives of so many people in Europe’s poorest country.

“Visiting Odessa to understand potential supply routes into and out of the Ukraine, Moldova was the obvious warehouse location and instead of just bringing in humanitarian aid we are now working to provide a subsidised back-haul solution primarily for Ukrainian producers to access the UK retail and foodservice markets, which will not only help stimulate economic recovery but offer a hand-up and not a hand-out, equipping them to be self-sufficient and create new jobs for local people.

“The new warehouse rental agreement is to be fully funded by Oakland for a minimum of the next 5 years. During this time, it is planned that the warehouse will operate as an inbound/outbound consolidation centre, providing full transparency on humanitarian aid received and dispersed to those who are in desperate need on one hand, whilst then facilitating exports as backloads from Ukraine and Moldova to assist with economic regeneration and support.”

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.