This story is not just about ice cream. It is about resilience, humanity, and the power of small steps toward a big dream.
The life of Yuliia and Oleksandr Kuzminov’s family from Odesa, like that of millions of other Ukrainians, changed in a single morning. By the summer of 2022, they had planned to launch sales of their own natural ice cream in the city center. Instead, there was fear, despair, leaving Ukraine, and the beginning of a search for themselves in a vast new world. The couple, with three small children aged 2, 4, and 6, and an ambitious dream of creating their own craft ice cream, fled to Moldova.
The Road Through Moldova to Ireland
It soon became clear that salary levels in Moldova did not allow a family of five to survive without owning a home or having relatives nearby. The couple then took a desperate step — they reached out to the international ice cream makers’ community on Facebook in search of work.
Out of ten countries that responded, only two were English-speaking: Ireland and the United Kingdom. The family chose Ireland. As if by divine providence, at the resettlement center they were randomly assigned to the town of Ballina, just a 15-minute drive from the gelateria where Yuliia was to work as an ice cream maker.
“When we arrived, after a few weeks I went to work at a factory producing metal-plastic constructions — that had been my field in Ukraine for 14 years,” Oleksandr recalls. “But I constantly wanted to start my own business. I understood that we have three children, and if both of us worked as employees, we would earn only minimum wage. And minimum wage is not enough to feed five people — it might not even cover rent.”
The War Stopped the Business Plans, but Not the Dream
Before the war, the couple treated ice cream as a hobby. They bought a professional ice cream machine, sourced organic milk from the Chernihiv region, and used only natural fruits, berries, and purées. Oleksandr dreamed of creating ice cream that he would not hesitate to give to his own children. But that is not easy.
For example, producing one type of high-quality ice cream takes two full days. Yet manufacturers often offer a product made, say, that very morning. The war stopped the Kuzminovs’ business plans, but it did not destroy their dream. Their philosophy remained unchanged: ice cream quality comes above all else.
Learning as a Step Toward New Opportunities
After settling in Ballina, the family completed the FoodStarter training course and, nine months later, were accepted into the prestigious FoodAcademy program by the SuperValu retail chain. Out of hundreds of applicants, only 25 are selected. The program teaches participants how to build and comprehensively develop their own brand and product. If mentors approve the product, it can be placed on SuperValu shelves — which is exactly what happened with the Kuzminovs’ ice cream. Thus, their own ice cream brand, NOBLE, was born.
However, that alone was not enough for a successful start.
“Irish people are wonderful, and their culture has a beautiful trait — they listen to others’ opinions,” Oleksandr explains. “They trust one another and mostly buy products based on good recommendations. Not everyone knows about us yet, so brand recognition is growing more slowly.”
The Philosophy of Quality
Yuliia and Oleksandr select every ingredient according to a simple principle: if it’s possible to avoid synthetics, they avoid them.
“When you taste ice cream made from scratch, where every milligram is chosen by hand rather than coming from some pre-made solution — it’s completely different,” Oleksandr explains.
For their chocolate ice cream, they use French chocolate that costs twice as much as standard alternatives.
“When you taste two chocolates side by side, the expensive one has bright floral notes, a rich bouquet of aroma, without acidity or bitterness, even though it’s 70% dark chocolate. The cheaper one delivers only about 30% of that flavor,” Yuliia says.
For vanilla ice cream, Yuliia orders organic vanilla pods from Madagascar, which are cooked together with the mix to release maximum aroma.Commercial producers usually add vanilla paste, a by-product of the pod with little pronounced aroma. It’s also no secret that they use colorings, flavorings, and even strawberry seeds or other berry fragments to create an illusion of naturalness.
The Power of Small Steps Toward a Big Dream
The search for suitable premises lasted more than two years. Eventually, they found a location in County Roscommon — 85 kilometers from home. It was the only facility that met sanitary requirements for food production. The local community also strongly supported the family, both morally and physically.
After launching production, the ice cream appeared on the shelves of many SuperValu stores. However, access to large-scale retail is still limited due to production and transportation constraints. According to their permits, the family is allowed to sell ice cream only within a 100-kilometer radius.
The next step Yuliia and Oleksandr are planning is to distribute their craft ice cream to restaurants.
Sometimes, the production cost exceeds the retail price. For example, they currently sell their chocolate ice cream for less than it costs to make — simply so people can try it and appreciate the quality.
Staying Human
“We don’t want to become millionaires. We just need to feed our children,” Yuliia and Oleksandr say.
Their business is not about scale, but about quality and values. They create a product they can be proud of and believe that honesty and love for what they do will find a path to the hearts of customers.
Their business isn’t about scale — it’s about quality and values. They create a product they can be proud of and believe that honesty and genuine passion will always find their way to the customer’s heart.