Food & Agriculturewood palletsEPAL certification
The Pallet King of Lviv: Inside Boyky's European Expansion
By Sofiia7 min read
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In a special edition of the Made in Ukraine podcast, we sit down with the founder of Boyky Pallets, the Lviv-region manufacturer that has quietly become one of Ukraine's most reliable EPAL-certified euro pallet suppliers to Western European markets. This interview outline reveals how we prepared to dig beneath the surface of a business that ships millions of wooden pallets annually — and what questions we believe will unlock the real story of Ukrainian manufacturing resilience.
Company: Boyky Pallets (ТзОВ Бойки Паллетс) Founded: 2018 Location: Lviv Oblast, Ukraine Key Products: EPAL euro pallets, custom wooden pallets, heat-treated export packaging Certifications: EPAL, ISPM-15, FSC Chain of Custody Export Markets: Germany, Poland, Netherlands, France, Czech Republic Production Capacity: Estimated 50,000+ pallets monthly
Before any Made in Ukraine podcast interview, our research team spends two weeks building a dossier on the guest. The goal is not to catch them off guard, but to signal that we have done our homework — and to find angles that transcend the typical trade publication puff piece.
Here are five facts about Boyky Pallets that shaped our questioning strategy:
The founder started in furniture, not logistics. Most pallet manufacturers come from timber trading or transport backgrounds. Boyky's founder reportedly pivoted from furniture production after recognising that scrap wood was more profitable than finished goods — a counterintuitive insight that suggests strong commercial instincts.
They survived 2022 by stockpiling before the invasion. Multiple industry sources indicate that Boyky had unusually high timber inventory in January 2022, allowing them to fulfil contracts when competitors faced raw material shortages. Luck or foresight? We wanted to know.
Their EPAL licence was among the first issued to a Ukrainian company post-2014. Gaining European Pallet Association certification requires facility audits, quality systems, and insurance — a bureaucratic gauntlet that many Ukrainian manufacturers avoid. Boyky pushed through early.
They refused acquisition offers from Polish competitors. At least two Polish pallet groups reportedly approached Boyky about acquisition or joint venture. The company remained independent. Why?
The founder allegedly sleeps at the factory during peak season. This detail, mentioned offhand by a logistics partner, suggests an intensity of involvement unusual even for owner-managed businesses.
The first minutes of any interview determine whether you get rehearsed talking points or genuine insight. We designed two warmup questions to establish rapport without wasting time on softball enquiries.
"Can you describe the first pallet you ever made with your own hands — not supervised, but actually assembled yourself? What do you remember about how it felt?"
This question achieves several goals simultaneously. It signals that we care about craft, not just commerce. It invites sensory memory, which tends to produce authentic responses. And it establishes that we understand pallet-making is physical work before it is a business.
"Why 'Boyky'? The Boyko people are Carpathian highlanders with a distinct identity. Is this a family connection, a regional pride statement, or something else entirely?"
Company naming often reveals founder psychology. A generic industrial name (Euro-Pal, LogiWood) suggests different priorities than an ethno-cultural reference. We wanted to understand whether this was heritage branding or calculated marketing — both are valid, but they tell different stories.
The heart of any Made in Ukraine interview is a carefully sequenced set of questions that move from operational clarity to strategic vulnerability. Each question builds on the previous one, creating a narrative arc that keeps listeners engaged while extracting genuinely useful information for international buyers researching Ukrainian suppliers.
"Walk us through the moment you decided to pursue EPAL certification. What did your accountant say when you showed them the investment required versus your revenue at the time?"
EPAL certification is expensive and demanding. This question forces specificity about financial risk-taking and implicitly asks: were you confident or desperate?
"Describe your first significant German customer. How did they find you, what due diligence did they conduct, and what surprised them about your operation?"
Germany is the largest EPAL market in Europe. Landing a German buyer is a validation milestone for any Ukrainian manufacturer. The "what surprised them" element often reveals self-awareness about Ukrainian competitive advantages.
"Take us through February 2022. You receive orders, the invasion begins, your logistics routes disappear overnight. What did you do in the first 72 hours?"
This question addresses the elephant in every room when discussing Ukrainian manufacturing. Avoiding it would be journalistically negligent; asking it bluntly respects the audience's intelligence. The "first 72 hours" framing demands operational specificity rather than general resilience narratives.
"Carpathian forests are under intense environmental scrutiny. How do you prove to a Dutch sustainability officer that your pine didn't come from illegal logging?"
Ukraine's furniture and wood industry faces legitimate questions about forestry practices. Rather than letting the guest offer generic assurances, we ask them to describe their actual chain-of-custody documentation. FSC certification claims are easy; explaining how you conduct supplier audits is harder.
"Without asking for specific numbers, help us understand the margin structure of your business. Where do you make money — volume, efficiency, relationships, or something else?"
Most trade interviews avoid margin discussions entirely. We believe sophisticated B2B audiences deserve insight into business model mechanics. The "without specific numbers" framing gives the guest permission to speak conceptually.
"Polish pallet manufacturers have scale, EU location, and lower logistics costs. A buyer reading this interview might wonder: why should I source from Ukraine instead of Poland? Make the case."
This is a deliberately confrontational question designed to elicit the guest's most compelling competitive argument. If they cannot articulate why Ukraine wins, we have learned something important. If they can, listeners get actionable intelligence.
"The question isn't whether Ukrainian pallets are cheaper — it's whether your supply chain can survive a single-source dependency on any country."
"We understand you've declined acquisition approaches from larger players. What would make you say yes, and why have you said no so far?"
This question acknowledges that we have done real research while inviting reflection on ownership philosophy. It also generates content that speaks directly to investors monitoring Ukrainian manufacturing opportunities.
"You've built something valuable. When you picture Boyky Pallets in 2035, are you still running it, or has someone else taken over? Who?"
Succession planning is critically under-discussed in Ukrainian SMEs. For international buyers evaluating long-term supplier relationships, this question addresses genuine concern about key-person dependency.
Every Made in Ukraine podcast includes one moment designed to surprise the guest — not through ambush, but through unexpected angle. This question should make them pause, think, and respond with something they have never said in an interview before.
"Tell us about a decision you made in the first three years of Boyky that you now recognise was completely wrong. What did it cost you, and how did you recover?"
Founder narratives typically emphasise vision and perseverance. We believe audiences learn more from hearing about mistakes than triumphs. This question also tests intellectual honesty — guests who cannot identify any errors are either unreflective or evasive.
By the Numbers: Founded 2018 | EPAL Licence Active | Export Markets 6+ countries | Certification ISPM-15 Compliant | Product Range Standard & Custom Pallets
Podcasts succeed when listeners feel they have gained something they could not have found elsewhere. Our closing questions frame the conversation as a knowledge transfer rather than promotional exercise.
"If a procurement manager at a Western European retailer listens to this conversation, what is the single most important thing you want them to understand about sourcing from Ukraine that they probably don't currently believe?"
This question invites the guest to identify and address the key misconception or knowledge gap in their target market. It is both practically useful for listeners and strategically valuable for the guest.
"If we did a follow-up interview in 18 months, what would you hope to be talking about that we couldn't discuss today?"
Forward-looking questions reveal strategic priorities while setting up potential ongoing coverage. They also end conversations on an optimistic note without resorting to empty platitudes.
For procurement professionals evaluating Ukrainian pallet suppliers after listening to this interview, we recommend the following due diligence steps:
Verify EPAL licence status directly through the European Pallet Association's public registry — legitimate manufacturers will provide their licence number immediately.
Request chain-of-custody documentation for timber sourcing, particularly FSC or PEFC certification, and ask for the name of their forestry audit provider.
Understand ISPM-15 heat treatment requirements and confirm that the supplier has the capacity to provide treatment certificates for every shipment.
Assess logistics flexibility — ask whether the supplier handles transport to your destination or delivers only to the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Start with a trial order to evaluate quality consistency before committing to long-term contracts.
"European buyers who established Ukrainian supplier relationships before 2022 faced disruption. Those who built them after have often found partners with battle-tested logistics capabilities."
The full interview episode releases next month on all major podcast platforms and at Made in Ukraine Magazine. For procurement teams seeking introductions to verified Ukrainian pallet manufacturers, our trade desk can facilitate initial conversations.
