The fight for Epicurus continues: Kovalenko accuses Dobkin family of attempting to seize assets
22 November 16:52
Brothers Mykhailo and Dmytro Dobkin, who own 33% of Volodymyr-Volynska Poultry Farm and the Epicur brand, have announced a shareholders’ meeting. The agenda includes the conclusion of significant transactions with Pivdenny Bank. This was announced by Alex Kovalenko, a 34% shareholder in the company, who has been suing the Dobkins for several years, reports Komersant ukrainskyi with reference to Latifundist.com.
A deal with risks: Kovalenko’s comment
According to Kovalenko, the deal involves granting a director controlled by the Dobkins the right to sign pledge agreements for amounts up to UAH 800 million.
He noted that Pivdenny Bank has already been involved in scandals related to “asset cleansing,” including the cases of SkyMall and GNT Group.
“For me, such an item on the agenda means that this could be the final chord in the Dobkins’ seizure of one of the strategic industries in Ukraine. What it could look like is that the companies do not pay their debts, the bank takes the assets as collateral and puts them up for auction. You can guess who will win the auction,”
– Kovalenko said.
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The history of the conflict
Mark Dobkin, a Kharkiv businessman, was a co-owner of the poultry farm with Kovalenko. After his death, the assets, and later the Epicur brand, were transferred to his sons, Mykhailo and Dmytro Dobkin.
In February 2022, Kovalenko announced the revocation of the license to use the Epicur trademark and the withdrawal of the brand’s products from sale. He cited Mykhailo Dobkin’s anti-Ukrainian stance as the reason for this step.
However, the products soon returned to the shelves, with new branding, the Volodymyr-Volyn Poultry Farm logo, and the word “Epicurus”. The Dobkins filed an application for registration of a new trademark, and the prosecutor’s office even opened criminal proceedings for illegal use of the trademark.
The conflict over the company and the trademark, including the court case, continues
