Halyna Baluvana stores will disappear in Khmelnytskyi and other cities: what will be built instead
19 June 23:04
One of the franchisees of the well-known Galya Baluwana chain of convenience foods has announced the rebranding of 26 stores across Ukraine. In a commentary to the Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers, entrepreneur Roman Kordon said that he has already started updating the outlets in Khmelnytsky and other cities, and the process is expected to be completed within two weeks. In the future, the stores will operate under a new name – MULTI COOK, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the entrepreneur, the decision to rebrand is related to the division of business between the former partners – co-founders of Galya Baluvana. One of them continues to develop the previous network, while the other, Volodymyr Matviychuk, has focused on the MULTI COOK brand.
“I decided to support Matviychuk’s direction,” explained Kordon.
At the same time, the entrepreneur noted that the sales situation differs from franchisee to franchisee, so some continue to work within the old model, considering it effective for them.
As you know, MULTI COOK is a new chain promoted by Volodymyr Matviychuk after he left the co-founders of Halya Baluvana in early 2024. To develop it, he has focused on Volyn and Lviv regions, and is giving other regions to potential franchisees for development.
Galya Baluvana: when and how its history began
Galya Baluwana, a chain of stores specializing in freshly frozen home-made semi-finished products, started its operations in 2018 with the opening of its first store in Lutsk. The brand was founded by local entrepreneurs Oleksandr and Alla Teliha. Later, they were joined by businessman Volodymyr Matviychuk, and in a few years the chain scaled to more than 950 stores across Ukraine, with at least 172 franchisees.
The assortment is based on traditional Ukrainian dishes such as varenyky, dumplings, stuffed cabbage rolls, pancakes, cheesecakes, as well as sauces and restaurant-style dishes prepared using sous vide technology. The stores operate in an open kitchen format, where customers can see the production process.
Gali Baluvana’s franchise model in Ukraine requires an entrance fee of $9,000 for the first store and $2,500 for each subsequent one. The monthly royalty is UAH 2,000. To open a 60-100 m² store, you need to invest about UAH 1-1.45 million. The business payback period is 5-18 months on average.
Since 2022, the chain has been actively developing outside Ukraine. As of 2025, more than 100 stores operate in 21 countries of the European Union, as well as in the UK, Turkey, Moldova, Switzerland, Georgia, and the USA. The terms of the international franchise include an entrance fee of EUR 5,000 and a royalty of EUR 100 per month. Only Ukrainian citizens with a foreign partner or investor can work under the brand.
At the beginning of 2025, co-founder Volodymyr Matviychuk announced his withdrawal from the company and the creation of his own chain, MultiCook. This resulted in the actual separation of the business. New outlets are being opened under the MultiCook brand both in Ukraine and abroad. Instead, Galia Baluvana’s franchisees choose which brand to join, depending on the regional market characteristics and their own strategy.
As Matviychuk himself explained in comments to the media, the reason for the breakup between the partners was a misunderstanding.
According to him, back in 2021, the partners opened a facility in Poland without approval, using proprietary technologies. Then there were lawsuits over a patent for a sign. And when Matviychuk entered the Polish market with MultiCook himself, the situation became more complicated: partners in Ukraine, competitors abroad.
“Galya Baluwana and Baluwana Galya: why the conflict arose and what it is
The conflict between the Galya Baluvana and Baluvana Galya dumpling chains, which is caused by the similarity of their names, has been going on for six years. It has now reached the court for the second time.
The lawsuit against Galia Baluvana, owned by the Telig family, was filed by the owner of the dumpling shops, Ihor Sukhomlyn, in May 2025, alleging copyright infringement.
Alla Teliha, on the other hand, notes that the accusations are groundless, as the trademarks are different intellectual property objects and are registered in accordance with the current legislation.
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