Ukrainian mushrooms creating jobs in communities: how a Carpathian cooperative provides income for 1,000+ people and keeps over UAH 20 million in villages every year

The idea for the cooperative emerged from a simple reality: Carpathian forests have always been rich in mushrooms, but opportunities to earn a stable income were scarce.

For years, local residents collected mushrooms for themselves or sold them at very low prices to intermediaries. In remote villages, there was little to no stable employment—especially for elderly people, large families, people with disabilities, or internally displaced persons.

In 2015, Serhii Teren set out to change this model and founded the “Dary Hutsulshchyny” cooperative.

Today, the cooperative brings together over 1,000 people from mountain communities, processes 150–200 tons of mushrooms and berries annually, generates more than UAH 20 million in income for local residents, and pays around UAH 2 million in taxes.

For many, this is not just a side income—it is their main source of livelihood.

From Carpathian forests to global markets

Over time, the cooperative has expanded far beyond the local market. Today, Carpathian mushrooms are exported to the United States, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Different countries have their own preferences: Americans buy morels, Italians prefer truffles, and Korean partners purchase pickled mushrooms. This diversification has helped the cooperative stabilize demand and operate not just seasonally, but consistently throughout the year.

Mistakes that became a turning point for growth

The development was not without setbacks. One of the most telling cases occurred when an entire export shipment had to be destroyed due to a low-quality batch of mushrooms that had been sourced outside the region.

This became a turning point. After that, the cooperative completely отказed external raw materials, focused exclusively on local products, obtained organic certification, and strengthened quality control at every stage of the process.

What changed through cooperation with the Platform for Social Change

At the time of сотрудничество, the cooperative already had a functioning model. The key question, however, was how to scale further. Their connection with the Platform for Social Change began through a mentorship program—and opened a new direction for growth.

The cooperative team started integrating artificial intelligence tools into their business, launched their own website to work directly with clients, and adopted a more systematic approach to building partnerships.

This marked an important step—from local production to a more structured and scalable business model.

Investment in expansion: a new stage of growth

A key milestone was financial support.

The Platform for Social Change provided the cooperative with a grant to purchase drying equipment. This will enable the launch of a new direction—large-scale production of dried products.

For the community, this means increased processing capacity, expanded market opportunities, and the involvement of more people in the value chain. In practice, it creates more income opportunities for those living in mountain villages.

How the cooperative builds a local economy in the Carpathians

The cooperative’s model functions not only as a business, but as a local economic system.

Each year:

• over UAH 20 million remains in communities through direct payments to people;

• around UAH 2 million is contributed in taxes;

• hundreds of families receive a stable income.

This leads to reduced labor migration, increased economic activity, and stronger local communities.

What’s next

The cooperative team plans to increase production volumes, enter new markets, expand its product range, and implement AI-driven solutions to automate processes.

For the region, this means a significant shift—more people will be able to stay in their communities and earn a living locally.

This story shows how the combination of local resources, entrepreneurial initiative, and support from the Platform for Social Change creates measurable impact—in incomes, job opportunities, and community development.