Ukraine’s first French fry plant to launch in two years

Mais has begun construction of a plant to produce potato flakes, flour, and French fries — the first facility of its kind in Ukraine. Some of the equipment has already been purchased, accounting for about 15–20% of the plant’s total cost, company founder Serhii Tereshchuk said in an interview with Latifundist.com.

“We’re starting with a line for potato flakes and flour — the equipment is already bought. That’s about 15–20% of the total investment. Next will come the full French fry production line,” Tereshchuk said.

The plant is expected to start operations in two years. Once fully operational, it will require around 180,000 tons of potatoes annually.

“We can’t handle that volume on our own. The model is mixed: part of the potatoes we’ll grow ourselves to ensure continuous operation, and the rest will come from contract farmers within roughly a 150 km radius — mainly along the Dnipro River. At first, our share might be larger, but the goal is to produce at least 50% of our own raw materials,” Tereshchuk noted.

The company currently has a potato storage facility with a capacity of 20,000 tons and plans to build at least four more, which are now in the design phase.

“The logic is simple: buy from farmers, store in our facilities, and process all year round,” Tereshchuk added.