Two-Year War Has Not Deterred This Ukrainian Startup

Penebella Continues Manufacturing and Distribution from Ukraine

If you ask any startup about the trials and tribulations during their first year of operations, you would likely get a variety of answers. 

One that you might not expect would be a military invasion. 

However, for longtime friends Dmytro Gudz and Danylo Sonin, that was the reality from the very beginning of their enterprise.

In 2021, Gudz and Sonin founded Penebella, a cosmetics company that specializes in high quality cosmetics using natural ingredients. 

They had set up manufacturing for their initial product in the Bucha, Kyiv region of Ukraine. Their initial offering was Lift & Firm, a face cream. 

They shipped their first product in January 2022, just before the Russian invasion began. 

To exacerbate the situation, some of the most intense initial fighting took place in Bucha, causing them to wonder for weeks about the status of their product supply.

When Bucha was liberated later a month later, and Penebella’s manufacturing team was finally able to safely visit the factory again, they learned that the product had miraculously not been damaged during the tumultuous period. 

Once they were able to resume normal operations, they were soon shipping their product to the U.S. via Amazon. 

Humble Beginnings

From the start, the dual goals for Penebella have been to meet a market demand for high-quality cosmetics made with natural ingredients. And, offer products priced comparably with other mass-market cosmetic brands, according to the founders. 

Plus, they wanted to accomplish their goals in a successful way, to make their home country proud. 

This originally required finding a lab that could manufacture their product, based on their proprietary formula of ingredients sourced from across Europe.

Luckily, they found a manufacturer in Ukraine. Once they locked in this relationship, they were able to get their products into the Amazon marketplace. 

Repercussions of War

Despite the turbulent circumstances of their formative years, Penebella continues to manufacture and offer their products. Bucha remains the company’s HQ, but its extended team works out of countries including Poland, Portugal, and Vietnam.

The two founders are hopeful for a brighter future —not only for Penebella, but for their entire country and its residents as well.

“Ukraine's current reality feels surreal,” they said. “How could this happen in the 21st century? We are peaceful, hardworking, intelligent and civilized people who want to live and build in peace. How can this be achieved? One possible answer is through united international pressure, support for Ukraine and diplomacy aimed at securing lasting peace.”

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