How a Ukrainian designer turned coffee waste into the world’s first circular eyewear brand — and a symbol of sustainable creativity.
Welcome to The Changes We Make — the podcast about small choices that create a big impact.
I’m Vitalina, and in each episode, I talk to entrepreneurs, activists, and changemakers about the why behind what they do.
In this episode, I speak with Maksym Havrylenko, founder of Ochis — the world’s first eyewear brand made from coffee grounds. We explore how Maksym transformed a small workshop in Kyiv into a brand that’s redefining sustainable design — turning what most people see as waste into something beautiful, functional, and circular.
Together, we talk about taking risks before sustainability became a buzzword, balancing creativity and purpose, and staying grounded while leading a mission-driven business.
Maksym also shares his honest reflections on leadership, resilience, and the quiet strength of believing in what you do — even when no one else does.
⸻
About Maksym and Ochis:
Born in Kyiv, Ochis is the world’s first coffee-based eyewear brand, creating biodegradable glasses from recycled coffee grounds, natural oils, and plant-based biopolymers. The result? Durable, waterproof, lightweight frames that keep their subtle coffee scent and decompose naturally within about ten years.
Founder Maksym Havrylenko grew up in Izium in a family of opticians and repaired over 20,000 pairs of glasses before deciding to design his own — without plastic. After months of experimenting and over 300 failed prototypes, he created the first coffee-based biopolymer. Early funding came from personal savings, Kickstarter, and later Ukrainian investors.
Today, Ochis sources around 20 kg of coffee grounds every two days from local cafes in Kyiv. The brand has since expanded globally, with over 60% of sales abroad — including the US, Germany, and the UK. Ochis represents more than innovation — it’s a philosophy of circular design and cultural storytelling, proving that sustainability and style can, in fact, go hand in hand.
Learn more about Maksym and Ochis:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/max.havr
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/maksym-havrylenko-b609b5166/
Find me here:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/vitalina_makakenko/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitalinamakakenko/
Support Podcast - paypal.me/VMakakenko
In this episode of The Changes We Make, I’m joined by Jane Land, Co-Founder and Chair of Veganuary — the global campaign that has inspired over 25 million people to try vegan each January.
Jane began her journey as an English teacher, but a deep concern for animal welfare led her to take a bold step in a completely new direction. In 2014, together with her partner Matthew, she launched Veganuary with a simple yet powerful idea: to make it easier for people to explore a plant-based lifestyle. What started as a grassroots project has since grown into a worldwide movement that not only inspires individuals but also drives change in the food industry, sparking thousands of vegan product launches and collaborations with businesses across the globe.
In our conversation, Jane opens up about what it takes to build a movement from scratch — the doubts, the setbacks, and the resilience needed to keep going. We talk about the courage to leave behind a familiar career to follow your values, the role of hope and persistence in creating lasting change, and how small, everyday actions can ripple out to transform lives, industries, and even the planet. Jane also shares what inspires her personally, the moments that remind her why this work matters, and her vision for the future of food and sustainability.
______________
About Jane
Jane Land is the Co-Founder and Chair of Veganuary. A former English teacher turned animal advocate, she launched the campaign in 2014 together with her partner Matthew to inspire people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. Since then, more than 25 million people have taken the pledge, making Veganuary a global movement that’s reshaping food culture and driving positive change for animals, the planet, and human health.
You can follow Veganuary, here::
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/weareveganuary/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/veganuary-limited
Podcast - The Veganuary Podcast
Books Jane recommended:
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows — Melanie Joy
Eating Animals — Jonathan Safran Foer
Find me here:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/vitalina_makakenko/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitalinamakakenko/
Support Podcast - paypal.me/VMakakenko
In our first episode, I speak with Maria Fronoshchuk — an Applied Behavioural Scientist and Behaviour Change Specialist whose work is all about helping people and organisations create meaningful, lasting change.
In our conversation, we explore her “why” and how diving deep into behavioural science has shaped not only her work but also her own life. We talk about the science behind making change stick, and how we can design our everyday choices to work with us — not against us — so that we can live more intentionally, for ourselves and for the planet.
⸻
About Maria
Maria Fronoshchuk is an Applied Behavioural Scientist and Behaviour Change Specialist passionate about helping people and organisations create lasting, meaningful change. She holds an MSc in Behavioural Science (with distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and is a registered member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists (GAABS) as well as a Chevening Scholar.
She previously worked as Behavioural Architecture Manager at Cowry Consulting (London) — a leading global behavioural science consultancy recognised by the Financial Times among the UK’s top consultancies. In this role, she led and contributed to behaviour change projects for clients including Tesco, Northern Rail, Welsh Water, Sky, HSBC, Just Eat, and Reward Gateway. Her work focused on areas such as stakeholder engagement, sustainable behaviours, customer experience, and technology adoption.
Before that, Maria led Platfor.ma, a Ukrainian consultancy and media organisation driving positive social change, working with Fortune 500 companies, the UN, USAID, WHO, UNICEF, WWF, and the Public Health Centre of Ukraine. She has also taught and trained with Deutsche Welle Akademie, the Media Development Foundation, and the UCU Business School.
You can follow Maria, here:
Find me here:
Support Podcast - paypal.me/VMakakenko
