Books, Pastries, and More Reasons to Come Back: How KÜRTŐ Is Growing in Kamianets-Podilskyi
To take a book from the shelf at KÜRTŐ, a café in the centre of Kamianets-Podilskyi, you do not need to buy it. You only need to place an order worth at least UAH 300, and you can take the book home for two weeks. Then you return it and exchange it for another one.
The idea was created by Oksana, the owner of the café. She teaches computer technologies at Kamianets-Podilskyi Professional College of Industry, Business and Information Technologies, while also developing her own café-bakery.
KÜRTŐ’s main product is kürtőskalács, a traditional pastry. But over time, Oksana wanted people to have more reasons to visit the café — and more reasons to come back.
That is how books became part of the café. Over time, the team began testing new products, developing a pet-friendly approach, taking part in local fairs, and looking for new ways to engage with customers.
During the Impact Projects Accelerator by Platform for Social Change, Oksana began to look at these individual ideas more systematically — not simply as additions to the menu, but as part of a broader question: what kind of place should KÜRTŐ be, and why should people want to keep coming back?
How KÜRTŐ Is Creating More Reasons to Come Back
KÜRTŐ is located in the centre of Kamianets-Podilskyi and specialises in kürtőskalács, a traditional pastry popular across Central Europe.
But for Oksana, the product alone was not enough. She wanted people to have another reason to come in, spend time there, and return again. One of her first ideas was to create a small library.
Oksana reads a lot, buys contemporary Ukrainian literature, and has her own collection of books. She decided to bring some of them to the café. In this way, a personal passion gradually became part of the space itself.
A Book as a Reason to Come Back
The system is simple. A customer places an order worth at least UAH 300 and can take a book home. The baristas record the customer’s contact details and keep track of the books. After two weeks, the book should be returned or exchanged for another one.
Over time, the system has developed a group of regular users.
People come back for a new book and, according to Oksana, often place another order while they are there.
For customers, it is a way to read contemporary literature without having to buy every book for their own collection. For the café, it creates another reason to stay connected with customers and encourage repeat visits.
“Every time they come back, they also bring income to the café. And at the same time, I give them the pleasure of reading books from my collection,” Oksana explains.
Over time, visitors also started bringing books of their own. Not every title is suitable for the café’s shelves, but the team tries to find another use for them or pass them on to places where they may be needed.
For now, it is still a small initiative. But it clearly reflects Oksana’s approach to developing KÜRTŐ: finding ways to give people something more than just a product.
When Change Starts with Small Details
Oksana joined the Impact Projects Accelerator by Platform for Social Change for the second time. One of the most useful modules for her focused on the mission, goals, and vision of each participant’s project.
For KÜRTŐ, this did not result in one major change.
Instead, the team began reviewing many small details in the way they interact with customers.
For example, visitors often asked about the calorie content of the products. Previously, this information was available from the baristas, who could explain it verbally. Oksana decided to create a separate calorie guide so customers could check the information themselves.
Another example is visitors with pets. The café is located opposite a park, so many people walk nearby with their dogs. Some used to leave their pets outside because they did not know whether animals were allowed inside.
At KÜRTŐ, they are. So the team added this information to the café’s Instagram profile, making it clear before customers even visit. Oksana is also considering offering treats for pets, although the format of this idea still needs some further development.
At the same time, the team is reviewing its packaging, product labelling, feedback collection, and the way it presents its offers to customers.
For Oksana, it is important that she started implementing some of these changes while the Accelerator was still underway.
“I’m not even waiting for the final pitch or the grant results — I’m already using these ideas in my business,” she says.
Three Fairs in One Month
The team has also changed where it looks for customers. KÜRTŐ has started taking a more active part in local events and fairs. In May 2026 alone, the team attended three such events. For Oksana, this is not only an opportunity to earn more on a particular day.
When hundreds or even thousands of people attend an event, some of them see the brand for the first time, try the products, and may remember the café.
Later, they may choose to visit KÜRTŐ itself.
The team is not yet measuring this effect, so it is too early to say exactly how many new customers the fairs have brought in. But the approach itself has changed.
Instead of waiting for people to discover the café on their own, the team is going to the places where local residents already gather. At the same time, Oksana is building relationships with the city authorities and local event organisers, looking for new opportunities to participate, sell products, and grow.
When a Nearby Business Is More Than Just a Competitor
Oksana says that another important result of the Accelerator has been the connections she built with other entrepreneurs. Some participants stay in touch even after the programme ends. They meet at fairs, exchange experience, share contacts, and discuss solutions that have worked for them. Some of them even sell similar products.
“We stand side by side at fairs. They sell sweets, and I also sell sweet pastries. But that does not stop me from selling, and it does not stop them either,” Oksana says.
For her, this kind of environment has become a separate value of the programme. A challenge that one entrepreneur is facing today may already be something another has learned how to solve. Sometimes, simply discussing the problem with people who understand the realities of running a small business is enough to find a way forward.
In this way, the Accelerator is gradually helping to build a network of entrepreneurs who do not only compete for the same customers, but also exchange experience and support one another.
One New Product Every Month
At KÜRTŐ, the team also tries not to guess in advance what customers will like. Instead, they test new ideas. Every month, a new product appears on the menu.
If it proves consistently popular, the team may keep it. If not, they move on to the next experiment after a month. One of the areas Oksana is currently focusing on is the summer menu.
During the warmer months, demand for traditional pastries decreases, so the team is looking for products that better match the season.
One option is to expand into ice cream, cocktails, and cold desserts. KÜRTŐ already sells ready-made ice cream from another producer, but Oksana would like to develop this direction further and create her own way of serving it.
Doing so would require new equipment, including an ice cream machine, as well as additional investment and technical adjustments. Oksana has already included this direction in her future development plans.
The Next Location Is Still a Plan
Another idea Oksana is exploring is opening a second KÜRTŐ location.
She has already identified an area of Kamianets-Podilskyi that she sees as promising: many young families live there, and there is a public square and a fountain where people regularly gather.
The available space she had considered was rented out before she could reach an agreement with the owner, so the second location remains a plan for now. For Oksana, it is important not simply to copy the existing café in another part of the city.
“To open another location, you need to be a little different or add something new so that people have a reason to come to you,” she explains.
That is why a future location could combine KÜRTŐ’s signature pastries with a new summer-focused offer, including ice cream and desserts.
More Reasons to Come Back
Today, KÜRTŐ remains a small café-bakery in the centre of Kamianets-Podilskyi. But around its main product, more and more reasons to engage with the café are gradually appearing. Visitors can take a book home, stop by after a walk with their dog, try a new product every month, or first discover KÜRTŐ at a local fair and later visit the café in the city centre.
For Oksana, developing the business today is not only about how many pastries can be sold in a day.
It is an ongoing process of asking what else people need and what could make their experience at KÜRTŐ better.
The Accelerator did not come up with the library, the new products, or the idea of a second location for her. But it gave Oksana a supportive environment, expert perspectives, and an opportunity to look at her business more systematically — from its mission to the small details customers notice every day.
And while the team decides which new product to test each month, KÜRTŐ itself is going through a much bigger experiment: how a small café in Kamianets-Podilskyi can become a place people genuinely want to return to.
