I had two hours to pack and leave Mariupol. Now I’ve started a new business in Ireland

OLGA ZHURAVLOVA ran a cafe famous for freshly roasted coffee in one of Eastern Europe’s most thriving seaside cities. That city was Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. Now it lies in ruins after the Russian invasion. Olga fled to Ireland, which she knew about only as a location for a barista competition she once watched online. That did not daunt her spirit, however. She has just launched a catering business,

Sense Catering.

Here she tells us about it and how she came to be here.

Tell us about your former life?

Life was good, Mariupol was beautiful. It was growing and became more beautiful every year. It was a thriving tech city.

And your cafe business there?

My husband and I were just young people who dreamed about our own business, our own cafe. We had no money. We borrowed a little. It was our first business step and the first step you will remember all your life.

What happened to it?

We had a huge technical base of equipment and furniture. We were buying it step by step. Everything we made went in the business. But we lost it all. All of it stayed in Mariupol. So I really am not ready for a restaurant. A catering service is the model that works for me.

When did you leave?

We left Mariupol on the third day of the war. Nobody believed that such horror was possible in our world. We thought we would leave for a few days, maximum a week, and then we would return. I have two children. The daughter was three years old and the son was two months old.

What did you bring?

It was one or two hours to pack. I thought that I was going for days or maybe one week – so very little. Documents and warm clothes.

What about the rest of your family?

The most difficult thing at that time was that my family stayed in the city. All the people who were there could not leave. Mariupol was surrounded by Russians and no one was allowed to leave. The city lost electricity, water, gas, and communications. We couldn’t know what was happening to our loved ones. We just received news that the city was constantly being bombed without stopping. But my parents got out after three weeks of bombing.

Why did you choose Ireland?

I knew it only from a competition for baristas I saw (online). We knew it is an English-speaking country and we knew some English.

How did you go about starting a business here?

I didn’t think about it when I came, as my children were little and I spent a lot of time with them while they adapted. When I decided to try it, I went to the Intreo centre, and then the local enterprise officer [Edward Cranney from South Dublin County Partnership]. I am very grateful for his support. He has really helped me with setting up my business.

Is it hard to set up here?

I have an economic education. Specialty: accounting and audit. Opening a business in Ireland is quite easy. The only thing is that in Ukraine it can be done in a few minutes. We have all documents in one state mobile application.

How is the business developing?

First it was a delivery food company but I like catering events more, so I want to grow this part of the business. I want to not only serve Ukrainian dishes for Ukrainians, I want to introduce these to Irish people too.