The first American store from Ukrainian frozen food producer Galya Baluvana has opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, co-founder Volodymyr Matviychuk announced. In comments to Forbes, he said the next store will open in Chicago.
Matviychuk said that the MultiCook franchise was sold in Philadelphia back on 2 September 2023. The 110-square meter store in Philadelphia sells:
- frozen varenyky — Ukrainian dumplings with various fillings;
- pelmeni — meat dumplings;
- syrnyky — fried cheesecakes;
- pancakes;
- deruny — potato fritters;
- chicken cutlets;
- holubtsi — stuffed cabbage rolls
- and other semi-finished products.
“We already have eight partners in the US, we plan to open 100 stores across America in 2024. In Chicago we are waiting for the opening at the end of February,” the co-founder of the Halya Baluvana chain told Forbes.
For the American market, the franchise fee is €5,000, royalties are €100.
Matviychuk started his business in 2018 with a small store in Lutsk. Operating under Halya Baluvana in Ukraine, it is known as MultiCook abroad. In 2022, Matviychuk stopped selling Halya Baluvana franchises in Ukraine. Since then the focus has been solely on expansion. For export, the businessman offers a franchise for a workshop and store for frozen semi-finished products.
In total, the company has 700 stores. Of these, more than 80 outlets operate abroad in 15 countries, with the largest number of these in Poland – almost 50 stores.