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In 2017, an initiative emerged in the Dunaivtsi community of Khmelnytskyi region that changed the lives of local residents. “Yahidnyi Rai” (Berry Paradise)<\/em> is not just a cooperative \u2014 it\u2019s a powerful example of how people can come together around a shared goal and drive economic development in their region. Together, they created jobs, engaged displaced people in community life, and ensured financial sustainability through berry sales. We decided to talk more about how they got started and how they made it work.<\/p>\n How It All Began<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea for the cooperative came in 2015, says Mykola Ostrovskyi, the project\u2019s initiator. At the time, the community was facing serious challenges: unemployment, lack of local job opportunities, and migration to cities or abroad. The community didn\u2019t want to stand by and do nothing\u2014they began looking for solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew the situation was difficult and were ready to try anything. That\u2019s when we heard about the idea of forming a cooperative. We went to Western Ukraine to see how it\u2019s done. We visited several farms, but the berry cooperative ‘Faina Polyana’ made the biggest impression. That trip inspired us to start our own service cooperative, one where every member could grow berries on their own land,<\/em>\u201d says Mykola.<\/p>\n Thanks to the social responsibility of a local agricultural business operating in the area, the community received support in the form of 15,000 raspberry seedlings. In 2017, the Yahidnyi Rai<\/em> cooperative was officially registered. People didn\u2019t have to invest money, so the risk was low. Everyone grew berries on their own plots, and together, they collected and sold the harvest in batches.<\/p>\n The cooperative operates as a non-profit. All income, minus transportation costs, is distributed back to the members. Eventually, the founders won a competition for a zero-interest loan to buy a delivery vehicle, giving them independence in logistics. The cooperative started to grow step by step, testing new ideas, and finding its own way. At one point, they realized they didn\u2019t need to chase every opportunity, they were happy staying focused on berries, partnering with processors, and steadily working for the good of the community.<\/p>\n Growth and Challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n The path wasn\u2019t easy. There were seasons when raspberries didn\u2019t bring the expected income or dropped in price. But the team held on, studied the market, attended forums, and learned. And when the situation improved, they were ready with the best conditions for harvesting and selling berries at higher prices. Today, the cooperative works with various partners, supplying berries to companies and individuals alike.<\/p>\n As time went on, the need to expand became clear. Raspberries are seasonal, so they began planting other crops: blackcurrants, sea buckthorn, honeysuckle, and elderberries. This allowed them to extend the season and provide members with work from spring through fall. They\u2019re even planning to grow asparagus, a crop that ripens early and could kick off the season.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is for people to have work and income from early spring to late autumn. And we\u2019re achieving it, step by step,\u201d<\/em> says cooperative chairman Mykhailo Barvinok.<\/p>\n A Social Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Yahidnyi Rai<\/em> is about more than just business. It\u2019s a community of 43 families and over 100 members.<\/p>\n The team actively involves both displaced people and locals in the work. The cooperative not only grows its own berries but also helps others sharing seedlings, tools, and expertise, and helping with sales. One of its key social features is a cooperation model that allows anyone to join in growing crops while the cooperative handles logistics and distribution. This gives people not just temporary income, but a real chance to be part of a sustainable, community-focused process.<\/p>\n A Turning Point: Training and Support<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2024, the cooperative\u2019s team joined the Social Entrepreneurship School run by the Platform for Social Change<\/em>. It became a turning point: they developed a deeper understanding of social entrepreneurship and gained a strategic vision for combining business with community impact.<\/p>\n \u201cThe training didn\u2019t just change our mindset,\u201d <\/em>says Mykola Ostrovskyi. \u201cIt helped us realize we already are a social enterprise and gave us the tools to keep growing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Thanks to the program, Yahidnyi Rai<\/em> also received a development grant, which they used to purchase a cold storage unit for freezing berries. This grant allowed the cooperative to expand its logistics and reach new markets. Now, they can deliver berries faster and more efficiently, boosting member incomes and creating more jobs. The new equipment will also make their operations more stable and less dependent on seasonal peaks.<\/p>\n Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n In the future, Yahidnyi Rai<\/em> plans to keep growing: expanding its product range, improving logistics, and reaching new markets.<\/p>\n This is a story of real community-driven change, where people don\u2019t wait for perfect conditions, but create them. Their example proves that social entrepreneurship in Ukraine works. And that change starts with something simple: coming together, believing, and taking action.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2017, an initiative emerged in the Dunaivtsi community of Khmelnytskyi region that changed the lives of local residents. “Yahidnyi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kejs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":589,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions\/589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social-change.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}