The couple that replaced music and motorbikes with epoxy resin creations

Entrepreneurs who can turn their hobby into a business are among the happiest people. This is the case of the Gaipelis from Tighina (Bender) city. And when a dream is enabled by available funds, things go smoothly.

Elena Gaipeli is a former music teacher and Vladislav, her husband, is a former motorcyclist. In time, they started to share a hobby.

In a small, improvised workshop in their country house in the suburb of Tighina (Bender), Elena and Vladislav craft a variety of wooden items: from chopping boards and compartment platters to small decorative items. They were able to acquire the necessary tools thanks to an EU grant provided in the framework of the EU-funded Confidence Building Measures Programme, implemented by UNDP.

The passion for woodworking didn't just grow overnight – it came after exploring other occupations. While on childcare leave, Elena was looking for ways to “escape” her routine. Initially the idea of a florist's workshop came up, then one day her husband showed her some items made of epoxy resin. Her first reaction was a decisive no, but then she decided to give it a try. And so, she started making from epoxy resin various jewellery and decorative items.

Things took a different turn when the war in Ukraine started, because it became difficult to import raw material.

Thanks to a €12,000 grant from the EU's Confidence Building Measures Programme, implemented by UNDP, the couple has now high-performance tools in their workshop: robots, lathes, and milling machines. With the EU grant, the Gaipelis will set up a sterile, well-heated room in the workshop where they can decorate wooden items with epoxy resin.

This is what they wanted from the start – to decorate wooden items with epoxy resin. Customized design involves, in addition to creativity and originality, certain expenses that must be borne initially by the manufacturer and then by the customer.

Only environmentally friendly raw materials are used in the Gaipeli family workshop, so that any of their products can be used with confidence in the kitchen.

“We only use certified eco-friendly materials, including the glue used to join some parts, even the pre-made parts, because most of the items we produce are for gourmets and cooking enthusiasts, so they belong in the kitchen. Our platters can hold various types of food, including hot food or baby/toddler food,” says Elena.

In addition to spending a lot of time in the workshop producing various wooden items, Elena and Vladislav are looking for new opportunities to pro mote their products not only in Tighina (Bender) or Tiraspol, but also in Chișinău.

They showcase some of their products on social media as well as on platforms dedicated to creative entrepreneurs. Now they want to increase the stock and sales, so that at some point to be able to export. Elena Gaipeli is one of the 13 entrepreneurs who obtained funding through the European Union's Confidence Building Measures Programme, implemented by UNDP, to launch or develop a business. In addition to the financial assistance that can be used to purchase equipment, entrepreneurs receive business advice.