Local projects in gastronomy, crafts, active tourism and cultural heritage preservation have received grant funding from GORO Mountain Resort and the Slavsko Settlement Council. The total amount of funding exceeds UAH 1.2 million.
The support was awarded following the final pitch session of the first cohort of the “Own Business. Slavsko Community” entrepreneurship platform. The selected initiatives include a bread-focused restaurant, blacksmithing workshops, an ethnographic space featuring local teas and honey, an active tourism centre, an ethnocultural space, the Heroes of Makivka Museum and an ethnographic museum.
During the selection process, the committee assessed how closely each project was connected to Boiko culture, local heritage, traditions, nature and gastronomy, as well as how realistic the proposed launch plan was and how prepared each team was to implement it. The committee also considered whether the product or service would be clear and attractive to visitors, whether the funding request was well-justified, and whether the initiative could strengthen the community’s tourism offer — creating new reasons for people to visit, stay longer, and return.
“Local entrepreneurs shape a significant part of the experience that brings visitors to the Slavsko community. They understand the character of the place better than anyone — its traditions, flavours, crafts, stories and opportunities. Through the ‘Own Business. Slavsko Community’s platform, we want to help promising ideas move into practical implementation, while helping existing projects strengthen and improve their products and services. For GORO, this is one of the ways we can support the growth of local businesses alongside the development of resort infrastructure,” says Rostyslav Mykhalchuk, Development Director at GORO Mountain Resort.
“When local projects move from an idea to implementation, the Slavsko community sees tangible results — new services, additional economic activity and more employment opportunities. Some of the supported initiatives will also work with cultural heritage and local traditions, so their impact will be social as well as economic. It is important to us that these projects develop here, within the community, and strengthen its long-term capacity,” says Oleh Danyliak, Acting Head of the Slavsko Community.
Support for local entrepreneurs will continue after the first cohort is completed. In the longer term, the platform is intended to bring together several forms of support for local entrepreneurship, including business education, mentoring, acceleration programmes and a professional community.
For GORO Mountain Resort, supporting local entrepreneurship is part of a broader vision of the Slavsko community as a four-season tourism destination within a wider tourism cluster. It is also part of the resort’s sustainable development approach, aimed at strengthening the local economy, creating new opportunities for residents and preserving the community’s distinctive character. A strong tourism cluster is not built through investment in four-season infrastructure alone. Its success also depends on local businesses, new products and services created by the people who live in the community.
Seven projects receiving grant support
Liudmyla Yaromii — “Spadok” bread restaurant, Slavsko.
The project develops local gastronomy and the tradition of breadmaking. The funding will help strengthen the restaurant’s production capacity and create an authentic, locally rooted culinary experience for visitors.
Iryna Popovych and Yuliia Kovalska — blacksmithing workshops at “Kovalska Maisternia”, Slavsk0.
The initiative is being developed around an existing working forge and will introduce visitors to traditional blacksmithing through hands-on workshops. The funding will help expand the space and make it more comfortable and safe for visitors.
Ivan Mychko — Active Tourism Centre, Slavsko.
The project focuses on active recreation and creating opportunities for high-quality, safe hiking experiences that encourage visitors to explore more of the Carpathian landscape and spend more time in the region.
Roman Furiv — “Tea with Honey” ethnographic space and café-studio, Volosianka.
The space will focus on local teas, honey, beekeeping products and Carpathian flavours, creating another place where visitors can discover locally produced food and the region’s culinary culture.
Mariia Telechkun — “Boiko House at Symeon’s” ethnocultural space, “Yakiv Art Studio” and “Zakharii Mini Farm”, Volosianka.
The initiative is intended to create a place where visitors can discover local culture, traditions and heritage. The next stage will focus on developing the concept, programming the space and defining a sustainable model for its future operation.
Olha Hrytsiv — Ethnographic Museum, Volosianka.
The initiative focuses on preserving local cultural heritage. The project includes cataloguing and digitising the museum collection and developing the space itself. In the longer term, it is expected to offer guided tours, workshops and other formats through which visitors can experience local culture.
Mariia Tkachyk — Heroes of Makivka Museum, Tukhlya.
The project will support the professional cataloguing and systematisation of the museum collection and lay the groundwork for the museum’s further development as an important destination for historical and cultural tourism.
About the “Own Business. Slavsko Community” platform
“Own Business. Slavsko Community” is a local entrepreneurship development platform created by GORO Mountain Resort and the Slavsko Settlement Council. Its first cohort launched in summer 2026 and brought together 26 participants. They learned from successful local businesses across the Boiko region, participated in training, worked with experts and mentors, developed their business ideas, and prepared for the final pitch. Throughout the programme, participants worked on turning their ideas into viable businesses and tourism products. They identified their target visitors, developed basic financial models, designed service concepts and promotional approaches, considered how their projects could connect with local culture, and built realistic launch plans. The strongest projects received grant funding.
