The war is the main thing destroying businesses in Ukraine!

My name is Karelina Karina Vitalievna, formerly Sheika Karina. I represent our family business, Slav Ceramic Club. For the past 10 years, I have been involved in the sale of tableware and have partially participated in expanding our product range. I mainly focused on promoting our products to new markets and I also collaborated with 40 suppliers. I know all the production issues in Sloviansk from inside and the challenges of implementing goods to the end consumers. Therefore, I will share my perspective from both production and sales sides.

Production problems:

1. Electricity tariffs
2. Shortage of qualified personnel – many employees were trained from scratch, some have worked with us for over 20 years
3. Poor quality raw materials
4. Pricing – it's hard to compete with cheap Chinese goods
5. Issues with insufficient product quality

From my experience, every customer wants the highest quality product. If there is even a minor defect, the customer demands a refund. It is slightly easier to ship tableware in bulk than to sell each item individually at retail. To maintain the store’s reputation, we had to dispose of defective items and lose money. It’s impossible to control every unit upon purchase, and some careless employees would pack defective goods due to a lack of quality control at the enterprise.

Thus, during our meetings at the plant, I have always emphasized these issues, as seeing our tableware in Epitsentr, cafes in Poltava, Kharkiv, Kyiv is pleasant only if it’s of high quality, and that’s why everyone should work faithfully, as if making tableware for themselves, not just for a salary.

Like many enterprises in Sloviansk, our production, KERAM Club, was founded in the 90s. The Sheika brothers, Vitaliy and Yuriy, started their activity in 1998. All production owners invested a lot of effort, personal funds and lost a lot of nerves, building and expanding their business throughout their lives without support from the state. If entrepreneurs do not pass on their experience, the ceramic business will disappear in Ukraine. Every production owner supports Ukraine's economy, pays taxes, provides jobs, and creates goods valued in our country and even more abroad. All production owners in Sloviansk are very strong, courageous, and resilient people. I am proud of each one, I love Sloviansk products and always promote them in Ukraine and abroad, using them myself.

Our 26-year history has a challenging and sometimes thorny path. Over this time, we have gained a lot of experience, which became irrelevant after January 27th. An Iskander missile destroyed our production…

At four in the morning, we were informed that two missiles hit our plant, and it was completely destroyed. Fortunately, no one was harmed as the tragedy happened at night. When the life’s work of my parents was destroyed, the state did not provide any form of support. We spent four months and significant funds on workers and heavy machinery to get out and save at least some equipment from the rubble.

We are trying to resume production from scratch with our own efforts. However, to be honest, the demage is so serious that we cannot restore the production to its former state on our own. We need state financial support. But with the current attitude of the state to the enterprises, it seems that the state is not interested in developping small ceramic businesses in Ukraine.

Therefore, there are many questions regarding the restoration of production:

• Which city to restore in?
• Will there be raw materials?
• What will be the electricity tariffs?
• Will there be qualified personnel in Ukraine?
• Will our tableware be in demand in Ukraine?
• Should we completely orient the market towards export?

We have sold tableware to Germany, Canada, Azerbaijan, Poland, and other countriesmany times. Foreign customers were delighted with our craftsmen and even more with the price. However, I always wanted to sell mainly to Ukrainians and for the state to allow us to set competitive prices. Our craftsmen and entrepreneurs can make Ukraine famous worldwide if they get the opportunity to work. Products need to be sold in very large volumes to help entrepreneurs survive with these tariffs.

Since childhood, my sister and I saw the formation and development of the production. Our favorite father’s phrase is that we grew up among boxes of tableware, next to tunnel kilns and shelves.

Why KERAM Club? It’s simple. Our production is located in the former premises of the club of the Sloviansk Heavy Machinery Plant. We started as a small team. From the very beginning the range ofour products changed repeatedly. Before 2006, there were gold-plated tea sets, vases, jugs, decanters, cups, candlesticks, marble items, wild pottery, and much more.

By 2012, we were engaged in the production of white clay tableware. We shipped cheap portion pots in large volumes, which we still can see in Ukrainian houses. For 26 years, we have never stopped productionvoluntarily, only due to unforeseen circumstances.

In 2012, a fire broke out at the production facility. This was the first major obstacle we overcame. Most of the premises and equipment burned out before our eyes. The firefighters couldn’t do anything. After restoring the production premises, we changed the product range and began producing red clay tableware. We transitioned to more automated production with moulding machines.

The main thing is owners’ experience and knowledge. We have already restored after a fire, resumed production after military actions in Sloviansk in 2014. But are these enormous efforts worth the end result if electricity prices are likely to rise, making it impossible to compete with China?

Yes, it is extremely difficult for us to fully restore production on our own. However, if Vitaliy, Yuriy, and my mother Olena have the will, health, and strength, they will do everything. Because they have done it more than once. Entrepreneurs and workers who continue risking their lives and stay in Sloviansk are all heroes.

I moved thewarehouses to Kyiv as soon as I recovered from the shelling that my whole family experienced, and I have never returned to Sloviansk. I’m grateful to everyone who continues working and makes it possible for the products to be further sold.

There are some problems, and they must to be discussed. The war is the main thing destroying businesses in Ukraine!