The power of loaf: Meet the bakers supplying bread to the front lines amid war in Ukraine

Nataliia opens the door with a smile. We step into a small bread-cooling area. Amid the warmth of ovens and the smell of freshly baked bread, shelves are packed floor to ceiling with cooling loaves. Once wrapped, these will be distributed to villages on the front line by the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners.

Founded in 1998, the family-owned bakery in the small village of Veselynove is a much-loved institution. Over nearly three decades, it has weathered many storms – none, however, as severe as the ongoing conflict.  

“Regardless of sirens and airstrikes, we kept working,” says baker Olena, looking back at three years of full-scale war. “When it started, the fighting was just 30km away. It was deafening.”

With suppliers from neighbouring areas “blocked by military forces”, she adds, “our bakery was the sole bread provider to our district.”

Her colleague, Svitlana, says back then, “It was just the two of us baking over 1,000 loaves a day. We were terrified of getting hit [by artillery] in the bakery or on our way home from work.”

After the Ukrainian army regained control of nearby territories in March 2022, fighting continued but moved to more distant areas. While Veselynove was safer than the front lines, many residents and those from nearby towns fled to more prosperous regions for work and safety as job opportunities remained scarce. During that time, orders were significantly reduced – and so were wages. The bakery was on the verge of shutting down.  

By April 2023, the front line had shifted further away. WFP started working with the bakery to provide food assistance in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, helping it ramp up production. Regular orders of 4,000 loaves per week from WFP helped the business stay afloat and retain its employees. (The organization is currently delivering food assistance to more than 1.5 million people in frontline regions of Ukraine each month.)

Nataliia moved to Veselynove in the fall of that year to take a job with the bakery. “There were no jobs in my village,” she says. “A few men worked on farms, that was it. We had to sell our house. But even here, job options are limited. I’m grateful to have this work.”

She takes us through the meticulous bread-making process. Each baking cycle takes around 90 minutes. First, raw materials are prepared, loaded into a large dough mixer, and left to rise.  

Bakers then carefully divide and shape the dough into loaves, load them onto baking sheets and transfer them to a special proofing cabinet to rise further. Finally, the loaves go into the oven until they come out with a golden crust.

“You know, I love my job,” says baker Olena, as she shapes a loaf. “We don’t use any chemical additives – just salt, water, sugar and yeast. Our bread is incredibly tasty.”

WFP’s partnership with small bakeries in frontline regions helps sustain small businesses while ensuring Ukrainians continue to find one of their most cherished staples: khlib, or bread.  

“When we listen to families who receive our assistance, we always hear that the fresh, fluffy loaves are particularly comforting in a time of war,” says Gerd Buta, Head of In-kind food assistance programmes for WFP Ukraine. “Bread belongs on every Ukrainian table – few meals go without it.”

Waiting in line

In the nearby Liubomyrivka village, Nadiia holds her young grandson by the hand while waiting to collect a food box and fresh bread. “Our house burnt down,” she says. The support, including the bread, is “very helpful”.

The bakery operates in three shifts, employing 14 people, including drivers. Since partnering with WFP, over 130,000 loaves of their bread have been delivered to frontline areas of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

This summer, the Veselynove bakery plans to expand and open new, more spacious facilities to scale up its production.

“We’re happy that we can help people,” says Svitlana.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, including the EU, WFP has distributed over 74 million loaves of bread in frontline regions of Ukraine over the past three years. WFP currently distributes more than 1 million loaves each month, all baked locally. Sixty per cent of these are sourced from 18 small and medium-sized bakeries like the Veselynove bakery – helping to keep the local economy alive in areas most affected by the war.

Learn more about WFP's work in Ukraine - and donate