Roshen
A major Ukrainian confectionery manufacturing group and consumer brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Roshen is a Ukrainian confectionery manufacturing group whose portfolio spans chocolate, sugar confectionery, biscuits, wafers, sponge rolls, cakes, pastries and related sweet products. The business developed from the Poroshenko family's Ukrprominvest concern, which acquired and consolidated confectionery assets after the privatization of former state enterprises in the 1990s. In 1996, following acquisitions of factories in Kyiv and Vinnytsia, the confectionery operation was organized as Ukrprominvest Kondyter. Factories in Mariupol and Kremenchuk were added in the following years, and the group expanded outside Ukraine with the acquisition of a plant in Lipetsk, Russia, in 2000 and a factory in Klaipėda, Lithuania, in 2006. The Roshen name was introduced in 2002 as part of a corporate rebranding. It was formed by shortening the Poroshenko surname, removing letters from its beginning and end. The company adopted the slogan “The sweet quality mark” and developed an umbrella identity intended to unify a broad mass-market confectionery range. Roshen subsequently became one of Ukraine's best-known food brands, combining domestic manufacturing with export sales and production partnerships abroad. Its facilities have included confectionery plants in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk and Klaipėda, a milk-processing operation in Vinnytsia, a biscuit complex in the Kyiv region and contract production in Hungary. The company historically sold to markets across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, North America and Israel. Russia was once a particularly important destination, reportedly accounting for a substantial share of gross revenue, but Russian import restrictions introduced in 2013 sharply disrupted that business. The geopolitical conflict also affected the Lipetsk and Mariupol operations. The Mariupol factory was closed in 2015, while the Lipetsk operation ceased production in 2017 after years of legal, political and commercial controversy. In 2024, a Russian court ordered the former Lipetsk factory transferred to the Russian state. Ownership became a central issue when Roshen's founder, Petro Poroshenko, entered Ukrainian national politics and won the presidency in 2014. He had pledged to sell his stake to avoid a conflict of interest. A sale was not completed, and in 2016 his shares were placed into a blind trust administered by Rothschild Trust. This arrangement was intended to separate the president from operational control, although Ukrainian media and critics continued to scrutinize the structure and the role of financial advisers. Roshen has also pursued visible social initiatives in Ukraine. Beginning in 2005, it helped install and maintain branded children's playgrounds in public parks. Between 2015 and 2018, it funded equipment, renovation work and surgical supplies for Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital, with the cited total for medical charity reaching UAH 99.7 million. These activities positioned Roshen not only as a packaged-food producer but also as a prominent corporate donor. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine created further operating pressure. In March 2022, Roshen reported suspending work at factories in Kyiv and Boryspil and reducing capacity at plants in Vinnytsia and Kremenchuk. The company also reported a steep fall in sales during the first months of the invasion. Despite these disruptions, Roshen remains an active Ukrainian confectionery group with a broad domestic retail presence, international distribution and a manufacturing footprint centered on Ukraine.
History
Roshen's origins lie in the Poroshenko family's Ukrprominvest concern, established in 1993 in the context of Ukraine's mass privatization program. The concern sought to acquire and reorganize former state industrial assets. In 1996, after acquiring confectionery factories in Kyiv and Vinnytsia, the family established Ukrprominvest Kondyter as a dedicated confectionery operation. The business expanded through the purchase of a Mariupol factory in 1997 and a Kremenchuk factory in 2000. It also acquired a milk-processing plant in Bershad in 1998. International expansion began with the acquisition of a confectionery plant in Lipetsk, Russia, in 2000. In 2002 the group commissioned a new corporate identity from a Kyiv marketing firm. The name Roshen was created by shortening the Poroshenko surname. Several fictional explanations for the name were considered during branding development but were not ultimately used in public promotion. The company presented Roshen as an umbrella mark for its confectionery products and used the slogan “The sweet quality mark.” The group acquired a factory in Klaipėda, Lithuania, in 2006; the plant was later renamed Roshen Klaipėda Confectionery Factory. In March 2012, Roshen began co-production with Hungary's Bonbonetti. Around this period, the corporation ranked among the world's large confectionery producers and reported a product portfolio covering several hundred items. Roshen's relationship with Russia deteriorated in 2013, when Russian authorities prohibited imports of its products. The ban became a major commercial and political dispute. The Lipetsk plant was closed in 2014, and the Mariupol factory was closed in 2015 because the Donbas war and export restrictions made continued operation impractical. In 2017, production at Lipetsk ended completely. The Russian facility remained entangled in legal proceedings and was ultimately ordered transferred to Russian state ownership in 2024. Petro Poroshenko's election as Ukraine's president in 2014 made Roshen's ownership structure politically significant. Poroshenko had promised to sell his stake, but a buyer was not found. In 2016, the shares were placed in a blind trust managed by Rothschild Trust. The arrangement was intended to remove the president from day-to-day control, while critics and Ukrainian media examined the involvement of investment advisers and offshore structures. The company continued investing in Ukrainian production. In 2014, its milk operation moved from Bershad to a new facility in Vinnytsia and was renamed the Roshen Vinnytsia Milk Factory. A biscuit-producing complex was built in the Boryspil area during 2018–2019. Roshen also maintained a substantial domestic social program, installing playgrounds from 2005 onward and supporting Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital with medical equipment and renovation funding between 2015 and 2018. Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 disrupted the company's operations. Roshen reported suspensions at Kyiv and Boryspil and capacity reductions elsewhere, alongside a major decline in sales during the opening months of the invasion. The group nevertheless remains active, with Ukrainian factories and international facilities supporting a broad confectionery range.
- 2024
Former Lipetsk factory nationalized
[1]A Russian court orders the former Lipetsk facility transferred to the Russian state.
- 2022
Invasion-related disruption
[1]Several Ukrainian facilities suspend or reduce operations after Russia's full-scale invasion.
- 2018
Biscuit complex construction
[1]Roshen develops a biscuit-producing complex in the Kyiv region.
- 2017
Lipetsk production ends
[1]The Russian factory ceases production.
- 2016
Shares placed in blind trust
[1]Petro Poroshenko transfers his Roshen stake into a Rothschild Trust-managed blind trust.
- 2013
Russian import ban
[1]Russia stops importing Roshen products, disrupting an important export market.
- 2006
Lithuanian factory acquired
[1]A confectionery factory in Klaipėda becomes part of the group.
- 2002
Roshen brand introduced
[1]The company adopts the Roshen name and a unified corporate identity.
- 2000
Expansion to Russia
[1]The group acquires a confectionery factory in Lipetsk.
- 1996
Confectionery operation organized
[1]Factories in Kyiv and Vinnytsia are acquired and Ukrprominvest Kondyter is formed.
Products and positioning
Mass-market confectionery brand combining a broad product range, Ukrainian manufacturing heritage and international distribution.
Chocolate
Roshen chocolate
The company's chocolate range is a core part of the umbrella brand and includes molded chocolate products and chocolate bars. It is produced for domestic Ukrainian retail and international export markets alongside filled and coated confectionery items.
Sugar confectionery
Roshen caramels and toffee
Roshen produces a broad range of hard and soft sugar confectionery, including caramel and toffee products. These items form part of the company's mass-market portfolio and are distributed through Ukrainian and overseas channels.
Biscuits and wafers
Roshen biscuits and wafers
Biscuits, wafers and sponge rolls are among Roshen's major baked-sweet product categories. The group expanded this area through a biscuit complex built in the Boryspil area in 2018–2019.
Bakery confectionery
Roshen cakes and pastries
The portfolio includes cakes, pastries and related bakery-confectionery products, complementing the packaged chocolate and sugar-confectionery lines.
Controversies
2016
Criticism of ownership-transfer arrangements
Ukrainian media and critics questioned the use of advisers, investment structures and offshore entities in connection with the transfer of Petro Poroshenko's Roshen stake and alleged tax considerations.
2013
Russian import ban and Lipetsk dispute
Russia banned Roshen imports, officially raising concerns about labeling, ingredients and production technology. The dispute became intertwined with tensions between Russia and Ukraine and later affected the group's Lipetsk factory.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Okhmatdyt children's hospital support
Ukraine
Roshen funded equipment purchases, sterile-processing reconstruction and surgical supplies for Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital between 2015 and 2018.
Outcome. The cited total contribution to medical projects reached UAH 99.7 million.
- 2005Roshen playground initiative
Ukraine
Roshen began supporting park reconstruction and installing branded children's playgrounds in Ukrainian cities. The program ultimately covered about 80 playgrounds, with the company initially taking responsibility for maintenance.
Outcome. The company ended the program in 2019, citing vandalism and insufficient public-sector support. Branding was removed and local authorities either assumed maintenance or dismantled some facilities.
Brand decisions
2022
Reduce and suspend wartime operationsStrategyBackground
Russia's full-scale invasion disrupted logistics, facilities and demand in Ukraine.
Action taken
Roshen suspended operations at Kyiv and Boryspil facilities and reduced capacity at Vinnytsia and Kremenchuk.
Aftermath
The company reported a sharp decline in sales during the initial months of the invasion while continuing to operate its remaining network.
2017
Exit from Russian productionStrategyBackground
The Lipetsk operation faced import restrictions, legal proceedings and worsening political relations between Russia and Ukraine.
Action taken
Roshen ceased production at the Lipetsk factory and withdrew from Russian manufacturing.
Aftermath
The plant remained subject to Russian legal action and was later transferred to state ownership.
2016
Transfer ownership stake to blind trustStrategyBackground
Petro Poroshenko had pledged to sell Roshen after becoming president of Ukraine but did not find a buyer.
Action taken
His shares were transferred to a blind trust managed by Rothschild Trust.
Aftermath
The arrangement separated Poroshenko from direct operational management but did not end public scrutiny of the ownership structure.
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