The creator of the brand Bubulino, Cristina Lupu, produces toys made from natural, hypoallergenic textiles in a workshop in Ungheni. The project is implemented thanks to a European grant with which equipment for developing the business by semi-automating production, increasing quality, developing new toy models and creating jobs are bought, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the EU4Moldova: Key-Regions Program.
The €18,000 in grant funding was provided with the EU’s financial support in the framework of the EU4Moldova: Key-Regions Program that is implemented by UNDP and UNICEF. The own contribution of the business entity was €2,257. “Our workshop is the place where we create friends for children, personages with which the children collect memories and embark on adventures. We create memories for generations,” stated Cristina Lungu.
The idea of developing the own brand appeared in 2017, when Cristina was 25 and was on maternity leave. She and her husband had been running a toys shop in Ungheni and later decided to sell not only foreign toys, but also own, authentic toys. The market research showed there were few textile handmade toys businesses. Working out a business plan, in 2019 she started to make soft toys from natural fibers under the brand Bubulino.
Cristina Lupu currently employs three persons, but she plans to increase the number of employees to five. “It is very hard to find suitable persons. They must have a lot of patients and be devoted. The toy filling process is now manual, is very meticulous and takes a lot of time,” explained the creator of Bubulino.
For now, Bubulino toys are sold in two shops in Ungheni, but the creator has plans to sell them in Chisinau as well. Orders can be also placed online. The toys can be personalized by embroidering the name of the child on them and something like this attracts many parents who want to make unique presents to their children.
Cristina Lupu is one of the 28 beneficiaries of the program of grants for the business sector in the key-regions Ungheni and Cahul, the 2020 edition. Sixteen existing companies, ten startups and two social entrepreneurship initiatives benefited from grants of €15,000 to €30,000 each.
