Releaf Technology Research and Production Enterprise was founded in Ukraine in 2021. The company’s head office is located in Kyiv. After formulating the idea, our founder realized he had something amazing to offer the world. What started as a small idea in an attempt to help the planet quickly turned into an amazing business! Now, the company uses contractors from all over the country to produce paper and eco-bags. As of 2022, Releaf manufactures more than 100 tons of paper per month.
Releaf Founders
Valentin Frechka
Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer
Member of the Small Academy of Sciences Ukraine, winner of the Olympics of Geniuses, included in the Ukrainian list "Forbes" "30 to 30"
Alexander Sobolenko
Co-founder & General Director
Serial entrepreneur & investor, founder of companies in the fields of circular economy, service, and real estate, former executive of a Fortune 500 company.
How it was
The Answer Was Right There
At just 16 years old, Valentin Frechka decided to study alternative sources to cellulose production in order to reduce deforestation. He explored options like grass or straw until one day, when he noticed the Carpathian Forest. His wheels started turning as he wondered if leaves could be a source of cellulose. He discovered that you could get the same fibers from leaves that you could from wood.
His first few tests didn’t work out, everything kept falling apart. Eventually, at the beginning of 2018 in his school laboratory he figured out his first prototype.
A Business is Born
With his technology perfected, Valentin began participating in any competition he could make his way into. For 2 years he went to the world Olympics presenting his idea. His hard work was recognized when he won gold at the all-Ukrainian ecology Olympia, the Intel Eco Ukraine Scientific and Technical Competition, the i_fest International Olympiad, the Climate Olympiad in Kenya, and many others.
In the fall of 2018, Valentin was invited to work in the R&D department of Zhytomyr Cardboard, where he became an innovation expert. For two years he worked at the plant and refined his product. When he realized it was finally ready he began looking for opportunities to take the product to an industrial scale. Finally, Releaf was born.
Releaf Today
Currently, Releaf is gearing up to provide as many eco-bags to as many businesses as possible. In order to do this, they must spread their message of leaf-technology and sustainability to anyone who will listen. They’ve perfected their take on the paper bag and hope to see it used in shops all over the world!
We work with global organizations to make our planet a better place to live.
