Biosphere Corporation, one of the market leaders in the production and distribution of household goods, has approximately doubled its European business in 2024, sets the same goal for the next year and aims to create a “billion-dollar company”, the corporation’s founder and CEO Andriy Zdesenko said at the 10th Kyiv International Economic Forum.
“And we are growing. This year we will grow twice as much. And next year our ambition is to grow two more times,” he said at the forum’s closing session on Thursday evening.
Zdesenko noted that Biosphere currently operates in 27 markets already, and the most serious step to enter international markets was made after the start of full-scale Russian aggression.
“We acquired the Austrian company Alufix with the brand, c 4 branches and their production in Romania. Just when we had a 30% drop in turnover (in Ukraine), because our audience left, and now another (dropped) by 10%, because the constant increase in prices, unfortunately, people are getting poorer (…) the average check is falling,” – added the head of ‘Biosphere’.
According to him, thanks to the program of global development, expansion in Europe and in Asia, the corporation managed to continue to grow. He pointed out that Biosphere’s brands “Freken Bok”, Smile are leaders in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the company has a very strong presence in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan.
“Next year we plan to open production in Uzbekistan, because there is a 100-million-strong cluster there,” Zdesenko said.
He also noted that Biosphere has established an international advisory board that meets in Vienna and whose members include three Americans and two Europeans.
“These are world-class people who help us build a strategy for world expansion. Because we have a goal to create a billion-dollar company (…) There are such ambitions, and we are creating Biosphere 2.0,” Zdesenko emphasized.
According to him, the corporation has dozens of global competitors, working without restrictions, which are now present in Ukraine.
“And the main challenge for Biosphere is how to be at the same pace, to win with ideas, intelligence, design, wow products, innovation, with the same sophisticated equipment, and where to take all the millions of investments needed for this,” – added the founder and CEO.
He pointed out that along with this competition, the company is additionally spending resources to provide electricity, notably installing a 1.5 MW gas generator last week, helping the army and the community.
Among the challenges in operating in the European market, Zdesenko cited differences in corporate cultures, logistical challenges and financing challenges, as the parent company of National Bank Acts is limited in financing from Ukraine for its international subsidiaries.
“We want to do expansion, we want to produce for Europe, but we can’t finance: marketing, advertising, people, capex, support, growth…,” he stated.
Biosphere Corporation has been working in Ukraine for more than 25 years. Its product portfolio includes more than 1 thousand items under 16 own trademarks (“Freken BOK”, “Fainiy Bonus”, Vortex, Lykit, Smile, Smile Baby, Superfresh, Bambik, Novita, Lady Cotton, Alufix, PRO service, GoWipes, “Chista Peremoga”, Pany Blisk and PoketMon). The corporation is an official distributor of such international brands as TORK, Selpak and Fantom.
The corporation’s capacities in Ukraine are represented by three plants with a total production area of 35 thousand square meters in Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev and Khmelnitsky regions, as well as logistics complexes with an area of 30 thousand square meters. m. Together with the French Groupe Lemoine, Biosphere also owns a cotton products plant in Estonia with an area of 8.5 thousand square meters.
At the end of 2023, a new FOOD direction was opened with its own production Cupsoul, represented by such tea brands as Graff, Ritz Barton and others.
Biosphere Corporation, one of Ukraine’s largest household goods companies, has re-launched its business in Uzbekistan, according to the company’s Facebook page.
“Even in these difficult times, when many companies face challenges that seem insurmountable, Biosphere continues to step forward with confidence… Today we are sharing extremely important news: after a long pause, we have re-launched our business in Uzbekistan,” the statement reads.
According to the company, it has been only a week since the first shipment, but the eight largest regions of Uzbekistan have already been covered.
“We are expanding our presence in Central Asia to make Biosphere’s business even more sustainable and reliable. Geographical diversification is our strategic decision to ensure stability and prosperity in an ever-changing world,” the statement said.
According to Biosphere’s website, it began exporting its products to Uzbekistan in 2020.
In June 2022, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, the owner and CEO of the corporation, Andriy Zdesenko, spoke about the presence of large orders in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but noted the existence of logistical and other problems with the supply of products.
Biosphere Corporation has been operating in Ukraine for over 20 years. Its products are represented in the markets of 30 countries in Europe and Asia. The product portfolio includes more than 2 thousand items under 13 trademarks: Freken BOK, Smile, Selpak, Vortex, Novita, PRO service, and LaiKit.
The corporation’s capacities are represented by four plants with a total production area of 35 thousand square meters in Dnipropetrovska, Kyivska and Khmelnytska regions, as well as logistics complexes with an area of 30 thousand square meters. Together with the French Groupe Lemoine, Biosphere also owns a plant in Estonia for the production of cotton products with an area of 8.5 thousand square meters.
The company “Biosphere” used the state credit program “5-7-9” and in January 2024 will launch a new shop for tea production, about $20 million has been invested in this project, according to the press release of the Ministry of Economy following the visit of the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko.
It is specified that Sviridenko visited industrial enterprises of Dnipropetrovsk region to get acquainted with production, investment plans and check the effectiveness of state programs to stimulate the economy.
Biosphere Corporation has postponed the launch of the diaper production line with Italian equipment for a month, but plans to start the mass production of diapers in May, the corporation’s press service has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Despite the quarantine and the impossibility of the Italians to visit our factory in Dnipro, our specialists remotely learned how to assemble, understood the process and assembled the equipment within a month. It will be launched a few weeks later than planned, but we are already preparing to launch it,” the press service said.
The corporation invested in Italian equipment for that line, the installation of which was postponed due to quarantine in Italy.
The Biosphere Corporation has been operating in Ukraine for over 20 years. Its products are presented in about 20 markets of Europe and Asia. The product portfolio includes more than 2,000 items.
