Local brands are not only responsible for souvenirs that we bring home from long trips or short trips. Local brands are part of the image of the city, and sometimes – the whole region. Among the legendary and delicious – «Kyiv cake» or Carpathian banush. And what could be a delicious brand of Zhytomyr? Author’s Wander candies confidently take the place of one of the most interesting local brands in Zhytomyr

Far – near: the birth of «candy with an idea»

Wander says that the brand’s cafe-boutique is «little Belgium in the center of Zhytomyr»: indeed, the brand uses only Belgian chocolate from the world manufacturer Belcolade, which does not contain cocoa powder. Wander uses only premium natural ingredients. Judge for yourself: for example, chocolate bar Wander is made from rare varieties of cocoa, the number of which in the world harvest is less than one percent.

Wander – translated from English «journey». Traveling and discovering something new in the world and in yourself is one of the cardinal values of the brand. Each collection of candies is dedicated to a certain region of our planet: charming Japan, mysterious Africa, distant Latin America, unknown tropical islands and legends of Old Europe. The candies in the collections not only have a special thematic design, but also provide an opportunity to discover the world through the geography of ingredients. In the Madre de Cacao collection, dedicated to the homeland of cocoa – South and Central America, Zhytomyr chocolatiers used products of Indian cuisine: amaranth, guava, mango, passion fruit, edible cactus – prickly pear. The Cheezarro collection is a bold combination of chocolate and blue cheeses from France, Germany, Italy and Denmark. The brand’s founder, businessman and traveler Andriy Amelin, believes that travel is not necessarily about traveling to distant lands.

All our lives are small journeys in space, in time, in our own feelings. The meaning of travel is an experience that transforms us. Tastes are also a kind of journey. That’s why Wander is a candy with an idea.

Wander Music project

The lack of physical travel prompted Wander’s creative team to seek new ideas. The result is a series of collaborations with Wander Music musicians to expand the horizons of the world, for lovers of travel, crowded concerts and festivals. By scanning the QR code on the box of purchased Wander candies, you can watch an exclusive video in which the music of the project partners – talented musicians from Ukraine and other countries, becomes the same guide to the world of travel as the exquisite flavors of Wander candies.

Wander Music partners are Anton Strelets with an original instrument HandPan or hang; pianist-improviser and composer Roman Kolyada; singer, pianist and composer Marinita Zakharova, who performs jazz compositions in combination with oriental, Balkan or Roma melodies. Wander Music playlist will soon be replenished with new «tasty» tracks.

Pastivalle for «sweets-ZOZhniki»

Wander has a family: the «brotherly» brand Pastivalle with sweets based on pastilles made from pure berry juice. The founder of the brand, Svitlana Amelina, told how the recipe for unique candies came about: «Several years ago, I decided to grow organic berries for my family. But I soon realized that there were too many berries for us. Friends asked to send them part of the harvest, but this delicate cargo spoils quickly. Then I thought it would be more practical to make a lozenge out of them. Many people use a natural thickener – boiled apple puree. But I had so many berries that I didn’t have to thicken anything. The lozenge turned out very tasty, but also useful. But how to make it a full-fledged dessert that would replace my child’s store-bought sweets? I tried to pour pure freshly squeezed juice on my dryers. There were thin transparent plates with which I wanted to experiment. Crispy nuts and real Belgian chocolate together with the lozenge formed a trio of the main ingredients of the Pastivalle brand, which appeared in 2018». Today, Pastivalle products are a collection of candies, marmalades, chocolate bars filled with pastilles and flour-free biscuits.

The chocolate journey begins in Zhytomyr

Is it difficult to develop a new brand during the corona crisis? Certainly. But the authors of the Wander brand are convinced that you should not hesitate, make decisions and move forward to the goal, without wasting opportunities and time. Willingness to collaborate with other local brands, participation in local projects, creativity in the approach to creating a non-trivial product have become the key to recognition and success of family brands Wander and Pastivalle, which are known and bought in Ukraine and abroad.

And the Wander team is inspired by Zhytomyr…
Address:
Zhytomyr, Peremohy Square, 4/2
Opening hours: 10.00 – 21.00
Tel. +380 (98) 377-47-49