Kherson Couple Rebuilds Coffee Shop After Russian Shelling - A Story of Resilience

"I've been making coffee almost all my life," Natalia Myronenko began the conversation. In the midst of military realities in frontline Kherson, she and her husband, Ihor, decided to open their own business, a small coffee shop. But six months later, they had to open it for the second time. A shell from the Russian army hit the house next door. Shrapnel and a blast wave damaged the roof, windows, equipment, and furniture. Today, the only reminders of this attack are the holes in the walls, which look out from under the paintings of cats.

"This is my Greece"

Natalia and Igor Myronenko from Kherson have been running a family business for almost two years. This is their first such experience. They decided to take this step after the liberation of the right-bank part of Kherson region. Despite the daily massive shelling by the Russian military from the temporarily occupied left bank, the family decided to stay at home. They explain that most entrepreneurs have closed their businesses or reduced their staff. Therefore, it is quite difficult to find jobs and, accordingly, wages in the city. They found a way out of this situation in self-employment.

"We had to work and live for something. That's how the idea came about. Ihor knows how to build and repair, and I'm a barista with a lot of experience. We combined what we do best in our business. Everything you see here was made by my husband, and I started making coffee," Natalia says.

To realize their plan, the couple borrowed money from friends and used the money they had saved to travel to Greece. That's why the Kherson woman now calls the coffee shop her Greece with a smile.

Photo: Intent/Yanina Nadtocha

"Coffee is always interesting. This culture never stands still, it is constantly evolving. New recipes, methods of grain processing and brewing appear. As a result, new bouquets and flavors appear. Therefore, there is always room to grow in this area, to improve knowledge and skills. I really like experimenting with coffee, as well as preparing classic versions of drinks. That's why our menu offers coffee for every taste," says the entrepreneur.

It should be noted that at first, the woman was in charge of all the employees in the cafe, working seven days a week. Now she has a barista with whom she works in shifts.

They start brewing coffee at 6:40 a.m., a little more than half an hour after the curfew ends. Natalia Myronenko says this: "We were planning to start at eight o'clock, but our visitors asked us to open earlier. Because they go to work after seven o'clock."

The explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and shelling

Nataliia says that on June 4, 2023, she and Ihor signed documents with the landlord and received the keys to the premises. The same day, they began renovations. And on June 6, the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant disaster occurred, and part of Kherson was flooded.

"Our district did not suffer from the 'big water'. But, of course, it was psychologically difficult. While rescue efforts were underway in one part of the city, we continued to build our dream. We had no right to give up and give up. We invested a lot of money and went into debt, so we had a responsibility to a certain circle of people who expected results from us," the entrepreneur does not hide her feelings.

On June 15, the coffee shop sold its first cups of coffee. With every day of operation, the family realized that their establishment is no longer just a business that makes a profit, but first and foremost the atmosphere it charges the people of Kherson with. So every holiday, the place is decorated stylistically, and themed offers are added to the menu.

"I don't know how to explain it, but the staff and visitors have become like old friends in a fairly short period of time. They support and motivate us. And it's so cool and amazing. War, a frontline city, shelling from everything: artillery, CABs, drones. And we gather and work on despite everything," says Natalia Myronenko.

According to the woman, this is what helped her to open the coffee shop for the second time. After six months of operation, on December 3, 2023, the house next to the café was shelled by the Russian army. In addition to the apartment in the high-rise building, the shelling also damaged a public transportation stop, shops, and establishments, including Natalia and Ihor's coffee shop.

"When I arrived, I was at work, and only a family friend was a customer. So we sat and talked. All I remember is that at one point something whistled and exploded, and we fell to the floor. I was the only one in the whole cafe who was still alive. Everything was ruined, just everything. We had just recently replaced the bar and countertops, and before that we just covered them with beautiful tablecloths. Because they were all in pieces. Pieces of iron flew into the wood with such force that it was simply impossible to pull them out," Natalia recalls.

Photo provided by the interviewee

She adds that the builders counted 33 holes in the roof alone. It was hard for the couple to look at what was left of their cozy coffee shop, but Natalia and Ihor pulled themselves together. They repaired the damage on their own and reopened the doors in two weeks.

"My phone was broken because of the shelling. When I repaired it, I saw a lot of missed calls. All our customers were trying to find out how we were, and those who lived nearby came to visit us personally. It was so nice. Imagine, people, realizing all the risks of a second strike, went to see if their barista was alive or needed any help. Later, some visitors tried to give us money for recovery. But we categorically refused, because it was not the right situation. The only ones who contributed were our military. The guys from one of the units collected money and left it on the counter. We didn't even have time to say anything. Later, they wrote that it was a kind of donation to keep us working and making coffee for them. This kind of attitude makes me cry," says Natalia Myronenko.

"Coffee and cats are for life"

The highlight of the Myronenko family's coffee shop is the cat theme. Not only the name and symbols of the establishment, but also the interior decoration are associated with these animals. However, it was not formed in a planned manner, Natalia notes.

Today, the walls are literally covered with various paintings of cats, and these four-legged friends can be seen in all kinds of figurines and even chevrons. Most of these are gifts from customers.

"It all started with a painting depicting a Kherson cat because it is holding a slice of watermelon. Then one of my friends painted a cat as a guardian angel and gave it to us to pair. And it was off and running. We'll probably have to open a second coffee shop soon to have a place to hang all this stuff," the entrepreneur says with a smile.

Photo: Intent/Yanina Nadtocha

It should be noted that people mostly donate paintings painted by numbers or printed photographs. The only original painting in the facility is a drawing by Natalia's 12-year-old niece. And one of the paintings came by mail from Cherkasy. It was sent by a resident of Kherson who temporarily lives there.

Natalia Myronenko explains how she came up with the idea to combine coffee and cats in one concept: "Coffee, like cats, is a love for life." Even before the full-scale invasion began, the couple helped animal volunteers and fed street cats. During the Russian occupation, their care and concern for their four-legged friends intensified, as many abandoned animals appeared. They were left behind by people who left the city.

"We have two cats at home, one of which we took in after evacuating it from the red zone, having agreed with its owners. Also, our institution mysteriously helped one street cat find a home. It wandered into the coffee shop and quickly found a common language with the guests: purring, lying on their laps, and caressing them. And one of the customers called us in the evening with a question: "Has anyone taken her to their home?". When he heard a negative answer, he asked us not to give her to anyone. Now Sonia, as he called her, lives with him. The cat found a new home in two days. Later we found out that she had been abandoned and had been living in the open air in a neighboring yard for about two months," adds the Kherson woman.

Business in Kherson is a lack of stability

Since December 19, 2023, the coffee shop has been operating as usual. However, Natalia does not hide the fact that it was much more difficult to launch the second time around. After the shelling, people were afraid to come in, and it definitely affected the cash register.

"It got to the point where customers would call or write: "Make such and such a coffee, I'll come and pick it up right away." And so it was: they would come in for a few seconds, put down the money, take a drink, and run away. This is fear. This is normal. But we live in Kherson, there is no safe neighborhood here, it comes everywhere," Natalia Myronenko says.

The entrepreneur says that she and her husband were prepared for this development. In general, since the first day of the café's launch, there hasn't been a single day when they could feel stable and plan for at least tomorrow.

"For example, in Kherson, the electricity supply is cut off. It's not a problem, because we have a generator. But if the power goes out at 21:00, and the curfew in the city is from 20:00, you can't go to work and start the generator. This means that in the morning you will have to say goodbye to the food stored in the refrigerators. When massive shelling is predicted, there are almost no customers. People try not to leave their homes. Due to the Russian military strikes, it is also difficult with logistics, almost all the raw materials for our work come from Mykolaiv," Natalia explains.

Photo: Intent/Yanina Nadtocha

But despite the "dark times" for the country, the family has no intention of retreating. They plan to open another coffee shop in the city, using a grant. They are doing this to create additional jobs and delicious coffee for people who continue to stay in Kherson.

"When they say that Kherson residents are unbreakable, it's really true, no exaggeration. For the sake of the people around us, we want to stay here: to live and work. We are often asked: "Why don't you leave?". But if we all leave, the city will die, and it will be very difficult to keep it alive. And when the war is over, someone has to meet people at home who will definitely return. And although we are not sure whether there will be a tomorrow, we have today, so we act," summarizes Natalia Myronenko.

The work on this material was made possible by the Fight for Facts project, which is implemented with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Ігор Льов

Яніна Надточа