Today we’d like to introduce you to Inna Kondramashin.
Hi Inna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I, Inna, was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States when I was only three years old. Growing up in an Eastern European community helped me preserve the culture and develop the business I have today. My mother and father were both foodies and loved catering social events. From a young age we were involved with our family business. Early in my 20’s, I learned of my passion for food and decided to open a business in 2016 as a baker. We made lots of yummy, sweet goodness and sold to customers and cafes. As we expanded our business, we expanded our menu. Pierogi became a number one seller. They actually took over the kitchen we were renting at that time. When COVID began and the world shut down, the community began ordering lots of frozen foods to eat at home, which included our pierogi. In a tiny kitchen, we were making thousands of pierogi and delivering them to homes. We began selling them to grocery stores as well. We were making so much pierogi, there was not enough room to make dessert anymore, So, we rebranded and became what we are now – a pierogi shop. Since then, we have moved to our very own kitchen where we have a retail space. We also opened a stand at Lancaster Central Market and sell pierogi in 6 different states on the East Coast. People are visiting from all over the United States – total of 25 states to date have been at our shop. We are not done with our journey though. We are excited to get back to making pastries and serving coffee in the near future. We cannot wait to make our pierogi shop a beautiful space where people can experience culture and good food all at the same time.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not easy to rebrand from a pastry shop to a pierogi shop. I had to be very intentional in the season when the world shut down during COVID. People were staying home and wanted comfort food and that’s all they were ordering. Laying down my ideas for the future to be able to survive this season as a business is not what I planned for when I opened up the shop. I did shed some tears at that time, but I am so thankful for the support from the community. They showed a lot of grace and love for me and my team.
One of the other struggles for me is running a debt-free business. I am only able to grow the business as fast as the cash I have on hand. It’s not a popular way of running a business, so I don’t have much community surrounding me to support my idea. I don’t have all of the proper equipment sometimes to be efficient in production. My staff is so patient with me as I collect money to purchase better tools. But the celebration is real when we finally get the mixer, freezer, oven or whatever we need. There is so much more appreciation regarding our equipment and how we take care it. I am open with my staff about our debt-free journey. It’s not easy, but worth it. I love the feeling of financial freedom I have every night I go to sleep. I never worry about payments, only necessary bills to keep the business open every day.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Inna’s Pierogi Shop specializes in homemade pierogi. Like the ones grandma used to make – pillowy soft dough, real mashed potatoes and most important, made with love.
Our pierogi dough is dairy free!
We have non-gmo vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free pierogi available.
We are proud to make exceptional pierogi for our community. We love good food and want others to experience that same quality as we do.
Our pierogi can be found in 6 different states on the East Coast. Visit our website to find the full list of stores that carry our pierogi.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My financial debt-free journey was inspired by Dave Ramsey. We started practicing his principles in our personal financial journey and loved the results. So, we implemented them into business.
As a leader of a business, I am constantly developing myself to become better than I was yesterday. Several things that have helped me in this process – Craig Groeschel podcasts have been a great source, and a local business coaching group filled with a room of business owners walking in different stages of their businesses (strong community).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.innaspierogishop.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/innaspierogishop
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/innaspierogishop
Image Credits
Matesevac Photography
