With its European production facility only 200km from the Ukraine-Poland border, the team at O&3 Polska have experienced the refugee crisis firsthand and the company is continuing to pledge its ongoing support.
Two years ago, O&3 extended its oil family to include O&3 Polska with a new state-of-the-art factory in Warka in Eastern Poland. When they established this site, it was to help European customers overcome the difficulties of Brexit, however since the start of the conflict the site has become a strategic focus, both to ensure continued stocking levels of natural oil ingredients in the region and to provide community support.
Within a week of the conflict beginning the O&3 Founders, on behalf of the company, pledged to fill a van with aid supplies, with the aim of driving it over the border to help civilians who were still in the country. The aid supplies, which included basic first aid, essential foods, cooking stoves and fuel, were purchased and packed by the O&3 Polska crew. The team then drove the aid package to the border where it was taken to join the humanitarian convey in Ukraine.
Since the first delivery the teams at O&3 have raised another £4000 through an Auction of Promises, cake sale and company quiz nights which is being match funded by the company. This money is going directly to purchasing more supplies to go to humanitarian corridors out of Ukraine, where thousands of people are still crossing the border into Poland. Any funds not used for supplies will be used for accommodation to help resettle refugee families.
Thomas Kerfoot, Founder & Commercial Director said “Many people who we work along in the region have strong cultural and familial ties with Ukraine and the bonds of unity that we have with suppliers, customers and colleagues there have never been more important. We wanted to show our solidarity to them with on-the-ground support where we could. Over the past two months it’s been incredibly moving to see the support we’ve had in our fundraising efforts. We have long standing relationships across Eastern Europe, and we are committed to supporting and strengthening those ties of friendship through these difficult times.”
