No Frills partnership a big boost to London Ukrainian business owners in exile
Andrew Lupton | CBC News | Posted: March 8, 2025 10:00 AM | Last Updated: 19 hours ago
Grocery giant gives shelf space to food made by family forced to flee war at home
As it is for any Ukrainian living in exile due to the Russian invasion, these aren't easy days for Anatolii and Liudmyla Potomkin.
The couple have three young children, including a newborn, and a bustling business called WOW Pierogies, which sells home-made perogies, cabbage rolls and crepes from their storefront on Hyde Park Road.
"We wanted to bring some Ukrainian tradition into Canada," said Anatolii about this business.
The roots of the business stretch back to the family's home city of Kyiv, where Liudmyla's grandmother taught her traditional recipes that have been passed down through multiple generations.
"We had a wonderful café in Kyiv where we worked as a family," said Liudmyla.
That all changed of course when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The Potomkins, who had one child at the time, were forced to flee. They left behind not only their business but also their extended families.
"When the war broke out we lost everything in one day," said Liudmyla. "We decided to move to Canada, where we continue our family business."
The business started with a storefront in Strathroy before moving to the Hyde Park Road location last year.
The business is doing well but their their situation became further complicated when Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
Trump has appeared to be more supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin than of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Trump and Vice-President JD Vance last week shouted down Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in front of news cameras in the Oval Office. This week Trump has threatened to cut of military support for Ukraine. This is all unfolding as U.S. tariff threats continue to roil the Canadian economy and undo years of friendship and business partnerships with the U.S.
Anatolii Potomkin admits it's not an easy time, but said Ukrainians remain resilient.
"It's bad news for Canada and for Ukraine," he said of the current political climate. "It's not necessary right now to have an economic war when we have war right now in Ukraine."
Key deal with No Frills
Amid all these challenges the Potomkins got some good business news this week when the owners of the No Frills grocery store at 599 Fanshawe Park Rd. agreed to carry products from Wow Pierogies in their store.
Anatolii Potomkin said the No Frills shelf space is incredibly valuable and comes at a time when Canadian shoppers are increasingly looking for locally made products.
"We are at farmer's markets but No Frills is a good next step for growing our business," said Anatolii. "It's such a big store with so much traffic."
The No Frills location is owned Robert and Tracey Basso. The Potomkins came to the store with samples of their food and made a pitch for some shelf space. Robert Basso said it wasn't a difficult decision.
"With all the things going on with the U.S., having a locally made product made the decision a little bit easier to do," he said. "No Frills encourages us to promote local vendors when we can."
The Potomkins have made full use of London's extensive network of food suppliers. Flour for the perogies comes from the Arva Flour Mill. The pork and beef for the cabbage rolls is also bought locally.
"We are supporting Canadian and local," said Anatolii.
Liudmyla Potomkin said the No Frills partnership is another example of how the family has felt so welcomed in London.
"In the context of the recent news we have seen about Ukraine, we have felt a lot of support from our people," she said.
"People just came to our store to shake hands and say that they are with Ukraine. It is very sad what is happening on our land now, because our parents, friends and relatives are still there. But we try to do our best every day to ensure that our culture continues to live on."