Brothers Pylyp and Vadym Gryshyn founded the snEco brand in Kharkiv. The idea of creating a healthy, tasty and nutritious cheese snack first came up back in 2015. The brothers set out to find a technology that would turn their favourite product, cheese, into a 21st-century snack and allow it to be stored for a long time without special conditions. And they succeeded!
The inspiration for the future super snacks came from NASA inventions to provide astronauts with healthy food: to keep the food as light as possible, they dehydrated it—removing all moisture— but not using the classic heating method (which destroys all nutrients), but rather an ultra-technological microwave vacuum method. It took Pylyp and Vadym nearly two years and thousands of kilograms of cheese to research, experiment, and refine the technology. Inspired by NASA and their astronaut food, they invented, refined, and patented their own unique technology. Thanks to this technological breakthrough, they managed to dry the cheese while preserving its nutrients. Thus, in 2016, a new product called snEco appeared in Ukraine. snEco.
Pylyp and Vadym
The Gryshyn Brothers
The company immediately patented its method for producing this nutritious, modern, healthy snack. Today, only snEco is authorised to dry cheese using this technology, not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Imitations and copies, of course, were bound to start appearing—given the product’s success. But they all lag behind snEco by several years—some fry the cheese to dry it, others bake it in the oven. Most add flavourings and aromatics because the taste of their product alone is not palatable. Also snEco is the only company that has managed to create snacks without adding any artificial ingredients—such as preservatives, flavour enhancers, and the like. As a result, in 2018 the company received the European ECO-Production certificate and has since been authorised to call its cheese bites the first ECO-snack in Ukraine!
The snEco product line currently includes over 20 different types of cheeses and cheese blends. You can purchase them through the company’s official website or at major supermarket chains, petrol stations, and stores across the country. You can also find them at cinemas and fitness clubs—after all, it’s an incredibly delicious and healthy product that’s high in protein!
How did the war change everything?
Up until February 24, 2022, the enterprise was producing about three tonnes of products per month. The brothers were developing and implementing big plans for production expansion and dreamed of exports to Europe — a new production workshop was supposed to open in early March, but one day changed everything.
Pylyp and Vadym met the full-scale invasion in Kharkiv. In the very first days, it was decided to evacuate the families from the city, as military operations were already very close. There was no access to snEco's production or office. Due to the fighting, both finished products stored at the enterprise and raw materials — several tons of high-quality cheese — were lost. The enterprise itself was also damaged, but in April 2022 the brothers managed to evacuate the surviving machinery, documents, and equipment. The family homes, production premises, and warehouses were almost completely destroyed.
The Gryshyn brothers spent a long time choosing a region for relocating production and the company. Eventually they settled on Mukachevo in the Zakarpattia region. The search for suitable premises took about two months. Eight trucks transported the surviving equipment and materials of the company from Kharkiv. The next stage was renovation — engineering work to retrofit the premises for food production needs continued throughout the summer.
“At the very beginning of the war, on 27 February 2022, we transferred all the money on the company’s accounts to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Come Back Alive foundation. That was about UAH 500,000. By the summer we were left almost without working capital. We took out loans and applied for grants, and that is how we were able to restart production,” says Pylyp.
snEco was supported during relocation and building new production at various stages by EU4Business, GIZ, International Organization for Migration (IOM), EBRD, the Export Promotion Office, and others. This was the support the company so badly needed.
Keep going, no matter what
Before the great war, snEco had 35 employees who scattered across different regions after February 24, 2022. When the enterprise found a new home, Vadym and Pylyp invited employees to return to work. Three agreed to move to Mukachevo. Currently, the enterprise employs 20+ workers, most of whom are internally displaced persons (IDPs) who, like them, were forced to leave their homes and move to a safer place. In parallel, the brothers sought financial instruments and attracted grants and loans.
We immediately understood that we had to look for any opportunities, since without them rebuilding the company would be impossible. And the grants really did help us start operating. These were the first grants in our lives. When news of victories came — it was very emotional, we were incredibly happy. It was a sign that our product had potential and a great future! Everyone who already worked with us at that time was proud that we won. And we are still proud!
The company was relaunched in August 2022. Thanks to grant and credit funds, raw materials were purchased — thousands of kilograms of fresh cheese, from which the first batches of dried cheese were subsequently produced. Grant funding also allowed us to pay the first instalments for the rent of premises, taxes, and salaries to employees, and later to build a solar power station, additional equipment, and enter international markets!
Made with solar energy!
sustainable development2022-2024
In these years, snEco is actively working not only on developing the product on the Ukrainian market but also taking the first steps in exporting to Europe and other countries. The Gryshyn brothers started this process back in Kharkiv, but after relocation, being just 100 km from the EU border, setting up exports became an even more logical decision. At the start of the war, the company even had several offers to relocate to Europe, but the founders decided to keep working in Ukraine.
In autumn 2023, snEco already signed contracts for exporting snEco products to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.
During 2024, we participated in several major international exhibitions, achieving our first wins and accomplishments on the international stage.
2025+ rapid growth.
international recognition
In 2024 snEco crunchy dried cheese received the SIAL INNOVATIONS 2024 award at the international SIAL trade show in Paris.
snEco's second production site is in Humenné (Slovakia, Sneco SK, s.r.o.): from there our products go to customers and partners in EU countries. In February 2026 the Slovak plant passed an audit against the IFS Food v8 standard.
The Mukachevo plant is certified to the FSSC 22000 food safety standard, and the drying technology is protected by Ukrainian patent No. 139035. Certificates and test reports are on the page “Documents and certificates”, and a short fact sheet about the brand is in “Key facts”.
The First!
snEco products are certified to the international standards FSSC 22000, HACCP and ISO 22000 and hold the ISO 14024 eco-certificate. They comply with TU U 10.5-40271201-001:2016, are certified to the eco-standard SOU OEM 08.002.35.069:2012 and carry the official status of “the first certified eco-snack in Ukraine”.
Patented technology – No. 139035
We want to cooperate!
We are always open to cooperation, our team strives to build honest and mutually beneficial relationships with professional people and companies interested in our product and healthy nutrition
Among our partners are the best companies
from Ukraine, Slovak Republic and EU!
