Inside Hutsul Space from Hutsul Coffee Factory in London, Ontario. All images courtesy of Hutsul Coffee Factory.
A new cafe by startup roasting company Hutsul Coffee Factory is sharing the culture and coffee style of Western Ukraine with Canadians in London, Ontario.
Inside the same building as the London Ukrainian Center, the cafe named Hutsul Space offers cozy furniture, tablecloths and other decor bearing the intricate and colorful patterns of the Hutsuls, an East Slavic ethnic group native to the Carpathian Mountains in Western Ukraine and Romania.
The shop’s homey atmosphere also inspires a sense of nostalgia for Ukrainian domestic lifestyles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Photographs of prominent Ukrainian figures adorn the walls, while traditional Ukrainian pastries and desserts populate the menu. Classic European espresso drinks anchor the coffee program, in which manual brew methods such as Chemex, Aeropress, Hario V60 pourovers and siphon brews also shine.
The company’s founders, Yuliia and Artur Konarev, fled the war in Ukraine in 2023 with their two young children and Yuliia’s sister, traveling first to Poland and then to Canada. While appreciating the relative tranquility and hospitable nature of their new city, visits to the dominant regional coffee chains left the family longing for the kinds of coffee experiences they cherished in Ukraine.
“When Yuliia and I arrived in Canada in 2023, we didn’t know that our search for quality coffee would lead to a successful business,” Konarev, a former product designer and IT specialist, told Daily Coffee News. “Once in the new country, we experienced an acute shortage of quality European coffee. This was the impetus for the founding of Hutsul Coffee Factory, a place that combines a love of coffee, Ukrainian traditions and high-quality products.”
All coffees for Hutsul Coffee Factory are roasted by Konarev on the Mill City Roasters equipment at the 3-year-old KW Coffee Collective co-roasting facility in Kitchener.
“Like any new business, the path of Hutsul Coffee Factory was not easy,” Konarev said. “Yuliia and I found like-minded people who helped us learn the ins and outs of the craft. Thanks to our acquaintance with Ron Donaldson, the founder, and Rumila Green, the director of KWCC in Kitchener, we were able to learn the art of coffee roasting and use professional equipment.”
Yullia Konarev, an artist and former teacher, takes the lead on customer service and marketing. Hutsul Coffee Factory officially launched online and wholesale roasted coffee sales in the spring of 2024, and now sells to clients in multiple provinces. The Hutsul Space opened in December.
“It is not just a place to drink coffee but a space for meetings, cultural events and communication,” said Artur Konarev.
As newcomers both to Canada and entrepreneurism, the Konarevs are eager to help others learn from and build off their experiences. Artur said they are even considering developing a franchise business for Hutsul Space.
“We understand that many coffee enthusiasts dream of starting their own business but don’t know where to start,” Konarev said. “There are already requests to open franchises in different cities across Canada, and our company is ready to help new partners realize their dreams.”
Hutsul Space is located at 247 Adelaide St S in London, Ontario. Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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