Croatian company to build bee feed factory in Ukraine

(Photo: Agro Simpa)

ZAGREB, 9 September 2026 (Hina)  – Croatian bee nutrition producer Agro Simpa is joining forces with Ukrainian partner VRM AHRO LLC to build a new production facility for bee feed in Odesa, with a planned annual capacity of 2,000 tonnes.

The project will see the Sisak-based company provide its expertise, technology and recipes, as well as the protein additives and supplements it has developed through years of work in the sector.

These ingredients, which are used in the prevention of certain bee diseases, will form part of the finished products manufactured in Ukraine.

Under the partnership, VRM AHRO will be responsible for local production and distribution on the Ukrainian market. The two companies also plan to cooperate on the development of new products and exchange expertise across different markets.

Agro Simpa director Saša Simić said locating production in Ukraine would offer several advantages, including lower prices for key raw materials such as sugar, as well as lower labour and logistics costs compared with importing finished products from Croatia.

“Production quality remains under the control of Agro Simpa, while VRM AHRO, as an already recognised company in Ukrainian beekeeping, organises production and distribution,” Simić said.

Ukraine a major beekeeping market

According to Agro Simpa, Ukraine is one of Europe’s largest beekeeping countries, with around 2.3 million bee colonies and 187,000 beekeepers.

The country’s climatic conditions create continued demand for supplementary bee feed. Long, cold winters and increasingly pronounced periods of summer drought can limit natural food sources during different stages of the beekeeping cycle.

Energy-rich feed is used for overwintering and periods when forage is unavailable, while protein-based feed supports the development of bee colonies.

The Croatian company said the decision to proceed with the project comes despite the challenging circumstances caused by the war in Ukraine, which has now continued for four years.

Agro Simpa and its partner believe economic activity should continue and that new products require time to establish themselves in a market.

The companies expect that, once the war ends, the project will already have established production, a recognised product and a local partner with a strong understanding of the Ukrainian market.

This would also provide an opportunity to rapidly expand production capacity in the future, they said.