Last year, in 2024, Amber Galbin Group started producing souvenirs, jewelry, paintings and other products from mined amber, which was a great success. The group of companies was the first from Ukraine to enter the European market with its products. Later, souvenirs, jewelry, and paintings were presented at an exhibition in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Soon, the products will be presented in Qatar. In an interview, the co-founder of the Amber Galbin group of companies, Oleh Bogelsky, also spoke about another success: signing an agreement with one of the largest Chinese online stores.
The amber used to make the products comes from the Rivne region. At the beginning of last year got better stone processing and production of products from it, which was not easy.
"We used to mine amber and sell raw materials. It was a profitable business. But later I started thinking about organizing the production of jewelry, souvenirs and other products made from the mined sun stone. I realized that this is a completely different level, much more difficult - we need to invest heavily in equipment and find qualified personnel. We took the risk! Already in 2024, we started processing the mined solar stone and making products from it. The production results have shown that we are on the right track - it is beneficial for us and for the whole of Ukraine!"
Amber Galbin amber products are already known in the world
Amber Galbin Group planned to present its products at international exhibitions. First of all, in March last year, the entrepreneurs took They are brought to the Polish Amberif fair in Gdansk. Manufacturers of amber jewelry and souvenirs, as well as guests interested in them, come there from all over the world.
At the Amberif fall fair, products from caused furor, said Oleg Bogelsky. The Amber Galbin pavilion had a lot of visitors who bought the products. By the way, the organizers invited us to cooperate on a regular basis.
In Dubai, the products were photographed
And at the international exhibition held last November in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates sold out Almost all the souvenirs were from Amber Galbin. The visitors were amazed as they examined and photographed the amber products.
"A little curiosity happened at the exhibition. We brought zodiac signs made of amber to Dubai. A lady in a burqa approached these items with a large security detail and told us to remove the Scorpio. It turns out that in the Arab world this is a sign of bad luck. Of course, we took the Scorpion out of our pavilion. After that, this lady bought several items from us. She was probably from the sheikh's family," Oleg Bogelsky recalled.
The specifics of Arab culture will be taken into account when producing new products there.
At the end of the fair in the United Arab Emirates, in addition to selling products, we managed to achieve our strategic goal of signing an exclusive contract with a Dubai-based company, which became the representative of Amber Galbin in Dubai. This company will sell solar stones with its own small markup. By the way, in December, they have already sold a lot of jewelry through the Dubai residents.
This January, Amber Galbin will take part in an exhibition in Qatar. The group plans to expand its presence in the Arab market.
China will sell amber products in an online store
In 2024, Oleg Bogelsky signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese, who have a large market for amber products. This craft has been practiced there for hundreds of years, not tens, so the level of professionalism of Chinese craftsmen is much higher than that of Ukrainian ones. The negotiations were difficult.
"Chinese businessmen really wanted to buy raw materials from us. But I definitely rejected this offer. I explained that it was absolutely unacceptable for us. Then they put forward another condition: supply us with the blanks, and we will finalize the products here at home. I did not agree to this option either. They did not like it very much.
Eventually, after lengthy negotiations, I signed a major contract for the supply of our finished products with one of China's largest online retailers. It employs 1200 people. During the quarter, we will supply a large number of amber products to this country. I think this is a great success, a breakthrough, because none of the Ukrainian companies have done this before."
The Amber Galbin Group of Companies has already begun to manufacture products that sell is a Chinese online store.
By the way, the production will soon be re-profiled, as two containers of machines have been purchased from China. No one else in Ukraine has similar high-quality technological equipment.
The rosary at Amber Galbin is made by a Qatari
Currently, the company employs more than 50 people to produce souvenirs. The group of companies plans to expand its staff as customers emerge in Poland, the United Arab Emirates, and, in the future, China and Qatar.
Production was set up in the premises of the former state-owned enterprise Burshtyn Ukrainy. Many of its professional specialists were invited to work there, said Oleg Bogelsky.
"We also have a highly skilled craftsman from Qatar who is well known in the Arab world. He puts his own stamp on every product he makes. Currently, the Qatari is making rosaries from a single stone. We will present this jewelry at an exhibition in Qatar. "
In addition, experts from China will soon arrive to share their experience. Negotiations with Turkish craftsmen are also underway.
Oleg Bogelsky generates ideas and plans to open stores in Kyiv and online
"My social circle is very wide. I have friends who are familiar with sports. Accordingly, products dedicated to tennis, volleyball, football, boxing, etc. were born. I have friends who are fond of hunting. Therefore, we also provided a number of interesting souvenirs for hunters. We also have products from other areas of activity, including medicine, law, and military subjects."
Creation of amber products controls Halyna Usik, the production manager, also generates good ideas. She is convinced that nowadays it is possible to make almost any thing you can think of.
For Christmas, Halyna Usyk created a three-meter tall tree that weighs almost 90 kilograms. It decorates the entrance to the store in Rivne. By the way, many new products will appear here in 2025.
Another store will be opened in Kyiv.
"In addition, we plan to actively promote Amber Galbin's amber products through the Internet resources of Ukraine and launch our own online store."