We Believe In Victory: Sisters A Chocolate in Ukraine
by David Nilsen
The story of Sisters A Chocolate in Ukraine begins, as you might have guessed, with two sisters. Olena and Oleksandra have always been creative, but Sisters A didn’t begin as a business plan or the evolution of an existing culinary career. It began, as it so often does, in a home kitchen. Oleksandra started making pralines with cocoa mass, and after learning more about the variety of cacao origins, she bought a small melanger and began looking for somewhere to order cacao beans. Once some beans arrived from the Dominican Republic, the sisters knew this was going to be more than a hobby.
“We roasted hand-peeled Dominican cacao beans (it took a whole week to peel them) in our own oven, and it was incredible,” say the sisters, with whom I corresponded over email with the help of Google Translate. “It opened into chocolate with notes of ripe cherries, wood, and herbs.”
After selling their first bars in the cosmetics workshop Olena owned at the time, the idea for a full-scale business was born. Olena sold the workshop, and Sisters A Chocolate was founded in 2021.
“One day over a cup of coffee, we discussed how great it would be to create something together,” they tell me. “We chose chocolate.”
The company now has six employees, and produces primarily chocolate bars using three melangers (one 30 kg and two 20 kg). The sisters are involved in almost every step of the process themselves.
While chocolate making involves plenty of science and technical precision, Olena and Oleksandra see it as an artform. They are crafting flavor much the same way an artist creates a painting, but instead of brushes, paints, and canvases, they are selecting and wielding temperature protocols, ingredients, and processes.
“Well, isn't that art?,” they ask.
Speaking of art, the Sisters A bar wrappers are worthy of attention in their own right, many of which can be seen on their very active Instagram account. Colorful but elegant, there is a gracefulness to the artwork and the sense these designs could be found in another design context—the mosaic pattern of a tiled wall, a graffiti mural on a building, an illustration from an antique book of botany. The colors are slightly muted, as if they’ve been worn by time but still shine true.
In fact, the sisters explain, most of the designs are based on Portuguese tiles. The idea began by accident.
“We had a dream to visit Portugal,” they say. “So [our artwork] is something about dreams, inspiration, and beauty.”
The sisters work with one designer who implements graphic ideas they come up with. They make sketches, usually in a notebook with pencil, and the artist creates the illustrations from those.
“We control the creation of the design from the smallest elements,” say the sisters. “For us, the visual is important, because the buyer gets to know the wrapper first.”
I was able to acquire several Sisters A bars from London Coe at Peace on Fifth in Dayton, Ohio. London has been instrumental in bringing chocolate from Ukrainian makers to the U.S. to continue to bring attention to the hardships Ukrainians are facing from Russia’s ongoing invasion. Both the Madagascar and Dominican Republic 75% bars are excellent, and the Dominican Republic 81% with Cherry uses the fruit inclusion in such a thoughtful way, highlighting the earthy spice notes of the stone fruit.
Sisters A has also collaborated with several alcohol producers in Ukraine. One of their primary retail partners is a wine market, and by working with the sommelier there the sisters have developed bars with rum, bourbon, single malt whiskey, gin, and even mezcal. They use a common approach when developing these bars, soaking the roasted nibs in the spirits before drying them back out and proceeding with the chocolate-making process. Their current offerings include Cask Islay Single Malt Chocolate, Canerock Spiced Rum Chocolate, and Gin Infused Chocolate.
The pair also like the combination of craft beer and chocolate, and often hold pairings of the two. They are currently working on a collaboration with a Ukrainian craft brewery to create a beer using their chocolate.
Life and business were thriving for the sisters when they woke up one morning in early 2022 to explosions and didn’t know what was happening. As they became aware of Russia’s invasion, they tried to figure out how to move forward. They initially thought they would shut down production, but after a little while decided to mail their small stock of chocolate remaining in their warehouse—unwrapped and in pieces at the time—to friend and customers who were still able to receive mail, and continue on as they were able.
As Ukrainians tried to adapt to a new normal, many entrepreneurs began selling products specifically to help the Ukrainian military and relief efforts. After a while, Olena and Oleksandra say they began receiving some help from friends in other countries, including Mike & Becky in Brussels, Belgium, who helped the pair with the logistics of receiving cacao beans. They also helped sell Sisters A chocolate bars around Europe.
“To have the production of a craft product in Ukraine during a great war is really a test,” says O, noting electrical blackouts have been a particular issue since melangers have to run for several days. “Air raids and missile attacks, stress and worries. To be honest, we don't know how we are holding on. We are very mentally exhausted, but making chocolate helps us to distract ourselves. We believe in victory, and we are sincerely glad to be able to give our customers joy and a smile in such dark times for our country.”
