Ukrainian entrepreneur staying in Sawbridgeworth using coffee as his weapon of war in fight against Russian invaders

They say an army marches on its stomach – but for Ukrainian troops, strong coffee is playing a part in their fight to drive the invading Russian military from their country.

Kyiv coffee entrepreneur Vadym Granovskiy discovered upon the outbreak of war in his home country in February that he could play a role in bolstering the morale of the soldiers.

Customers from the military had often frequented his speciality shop Coffee In Action before the conflict began, and after he had ensured his wife and daughter were safely out of the country he returned to find the soldiers defending the capital from Russian bombs and rockets.

The 43-year-old began by making packages of coffee and an energising purée of cold brew, cashew and banana to give to soldiers, but they wanted a stronger drink to help them stay alert. So he mixed the Turkish brewing method of cezve, in which a long-handled pot is used, with his own double espresso recipe to create The Ukrainer. When it was safe, he began delivering packages to the front line.

Now, after the project snowballed, more than two tonnes of coffee and hundreds of cezves have so far been delivered to military units across the country.

Vadym is staying with his wife Natalia and daughter Valerie at the home of John and Heather Harding in Sheering Lower Road, Sawbridgeworth, for a few weeks after being given permission to leave Ukraine by its ministry of culture.

He explained the power of coffee in his country's fight for freedom.

"In any demanding environment, you need to rely on your sharp mind, and coffee provides that. It motivates you to speak and it sharpens your mind and your tongue."

Vadym also feels it has a power to help people socialise as the brewing method can take up to five minutes.

"It takes time," he said. "Because Turkish coffee comes from the east, they don't rush!

"If you look at the history of coffee you will see it has always been a social glue."

As an ambassador for Ukrainian coffee, and well known worldwide and with his coffee shop closed, Vadym has found spreading the word is the best way he can keep his country's culture and its very existence alive.

"Through coffee I can talk about our country," he said. "I think foods, cuisine, culture and language can also be weapons – and I feel this is my best weapon."

Vadym is running a charity project, Coffee Care, where for every cezve bought via the online store, Coffee In Action will provide one free to a Ukrainian soldier or medic. See https://www.coffeeinaction.com/product-page/ukrainer-cezve for details.