UKRNAFTA, MHP and chef Yevhen Klopotenko are launching the Drive Ukrainian project. The initiative is an exclusive range of portioned ready meals for UKRNAFTA, Ukraine’s largest gas station network, developed by chef Yevhen Klopotenko and produced and scaled by MHP under the Secrets of the Chef brand.
The project responds to consumer demand for full, familiar and tasty food at locations where decisions about a snack or meal are made quickly: on the road, between appointments or while travelling. Under the collaboration, a restaurant-quality product is being adapted to a mass-market format available at hundreds of sites across the country.
The initial stage provides for the launch of ready meals at more than 200 UKRNAFTA gas stations. The project is later planned to be scaled to most sites in the UKRNAFTA network, which comprises around 700 gas stations across Ukraine.
“For UKRNAFTA, this project forms part of the systematic transformation of the network and the development of customer service. We can see that the role of the gas station is changing: customers expect not only quality fuel, but a full service offering while travelling. That is why the introduction of ready meals is not an expansion of the range, but a logical stage in the development of the gas-station format. Partnership with MHP and Yevhen Klopotenko allows us to launch this category in a structured way: around 200 gas stations at the first stage, followed by further scaling. This approach makes it possible to ensure consistent product quality, take customer feedback into account and develop the category nationwide,” said Bogdan Kukura, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC “Ukrnafta”.
A distinctive feature of the project is its tripartite co-creation model. UKRNAFTA approached MHP, as a food producer, with a request for full ready meals as part of an updated gas-station format and a new consumer experience. Yevhen Klopotenko developed the original recipes. Under the Drive Ukrainian project, MHP has taken responsibility for the full production cycle: industrialisation of the recipes, standardisation of taste, compliance with quality and food safety requirements, packaging format, logistics and the model for scaling across the network. This cooperation allows UKRNAFTA to receive not an individual product, but a complete solution integrated into the gas station’s operating model.
“The development by the MHP team of a range of dishes under the Secrets of the Chef brand exclusively for UKRNAFTA clearly illustrates our approach to partnership, under which we do not simply sell partners an existing product, but are prepared to develop tailor-made solutions. This is an expression of our philosophy of developing our customers’ businesses, which goes far beyond transactional buy-sell relations and is focused on the partner’s success through creating value for the end consumer. In addition, Drive Ukrainian marks the launch of a full ready-meals category, on the production of which MHP has been focused for the past several years. We can see that people want to eat well while spending less time on cooking, and that is why year after year we offer consumers more value-added products in which we, as a food producer, have either completed part of the preparation process for them or cooked the dish in full,” said Andrii Doroshenko, Head of HoReCa Customer Relations at MHP.
So what will be on the menu? The food-to-go market at gas stations is changing rapidly: for consumers, quality, consistent taste, a recognisable brand and a convenient format are becoming increasingly important. The launch of a ready-meal range creates a new consumption scenario: stopping at a gas station not only for fuel and a quick snack, but also for a full lunch.
The Drive Ukrainian menu features dishes created by Yevhen Klopotenko on the basis of Ukrainian flavours and familiar culinary formats. These include borshch, banosh with mushrooms, brynza and crackling, buckwheat with mushrooms and crackling, chicken soup, breaded pancakes with chicken and mushrooms, and other items. Some dishes will remain on the rotating menu for further testing and adaptation to consumer tastes.
“My idea in this project is to make choosing Ukrainian something habitual and accessible in places where people eat almost automatically, including at gas stations. An important point is that the focus of the Drive Ukrainian project is not limited to traditional Ukrainian dishes. For us, the concept of ‘Ukrainian’ is much broader. It is our flavours, our products, production here in Ukraine, and the people who create it all. That is why the menu may include dishes that are not classically Ukrainian in origin, but which Ukrainians love. Ukrainian cuisine should not be preserved in aspic — it should live and develop together with us,” said chef and creative entrepreneur Yevhen Klopotenko.
The first meal range will be available at gas stations from 15 April. The products are supplied in a frozen-ready format: frozen and then reheated on site. This model makes it possible to ensure quality control, food safety and consistency of taste regardless of region.
The scale of the UKRNAFTA network makes this project one of the largest channels for access to ready meals on the road. Phased roll-out makes it possible to test consumer response, adapt the menu and scale the product range in a controlled way. For the consumer, this means one simple thing: familiar taste and predictable quality in different cities and regions of the country when there is no time to look for somewhere to have lunch.
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JSC “Ukrnafta” is Ukraine’s largest oil-producing company, carrying out a full cycle of operations in the production segment, including exploration, oil and gas production, provision of oilfield services, and management of UKRNAFTA, Ukraine’s largest gas station network.
The company’s balance sheet includes more than 1,106 oil wells and 131 gas wells.
The shareholders of JSC “Ukrnafta” are NJSC “Naftogaz of Ukraine” and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. Since 2022, the company has been under state management and has been implementing a large-scale business transformation.
Based on 2025 results, Ukrnafta became the leader of the extractive industry with turnover of UAH 99.6 billion, as reflected in the Opendatabot Index of Best Enterprises.
The company paid UAH 28.8 billion in taxes, fees and mandatory payments, as well as UAH 5 billion in dividends to the state. Over the three years of state management, total taxes and dividends amounted to UAH 97.4 billion.
The company actively supports Ukraine’s Defence Forces and invests in the development of energy infrastructure.
The UKRNAFTA gas station network is the largest gas station network in Ukraine, comprising nearly 700 sites and ranking among the top three by fuel sales volumes. The UKRNAFTA brand now consolidates networks previously operating under the Glusco, Shell and U.Go brands.
The network offers customers high-quality Euro 5 standard fuel, a wide range of additional services, and is undergoing active modernisation: infrastructure is being upgraded and new service formats are being introduced at gas stations across the country. An important element in the development of the customer experience is the UKRNAFTA mobile app, which is already used by around 3 million customers.
MHP is an international food and agri-tech company with production facilities in Ukraine, Spain and the countries of South-Eastern Europe. It employs more than 38,000 people in Ukraine and abroad. The company exports products to more than 70 countries worldwide and is Europe’s leading poultry producer according to WattPoultry. The company develops more than 15 brands and, together with partners, several chains, including “Miasomarket” stores and “Döner Market” outlets.
Yevhen Klopotenko is a chef, creative entrepreneur, public activist and researcher of Ukrainian cuisine. He is co-owner of the “Inakshi” gastro holding, which brings together four venues in Kyiv and Lviv. He is also the founder of the “100ROKIV”, “100SHOP”, “MAKITRA” and “Muza” brands.
In 2021, Yevhen initiated the inclusion of borshch on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
Yevhen’s work to improve gastronomic culture in Ukraine and promote Ukrainian cuisine globally has also received international recognition. In April 2021, Yevhen Klopotenko was included in the prestigious international 50 Next list, which highlights professionals shaping the future of gastronomy, compiled by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
