History of Lviv Croissants: A breakthrough in the Ukrainian market and a comeback in Poland

In just two years, the mono-product chain, Lviv Croissants, has grown by almost a third, despite facing a full-scale war. Between 2022 and 2023, 40 new locations opened, bringing the total to 159 bakeries as of January 2024 – 23 of them owned and 136 operating under franchise. With this achievement, the brand claimed the top spot in Forbes Ukraine's ranking of the largest restaurant chains in the country.

Even more impressively, the founders have made a triumphant return to the Polish market. Despite a failed attempt in 2018 that resulted in losses of $150,000, the network has now firmly established itself in Poland, boasting 11 bakeries. Plans include opening new locations in other European countries, as well as in the United States.

How did they manage to scale at such rates? What did they learn from financial setbacks? And what was the origin story of Lviv Croissants? CEO and founder Andrii Halytskyi shared the details with LIGA.net.