Victoria Aleksovych

Victoria Aleksovych (born May 25, 1981, Khust, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, public figure, and scientist working in the field of woodworking and oenology, particularly in the production of wood for aging wine, spirits, and beer.
She is the owner of the international company "OAK & WINE" LLC Luxembourg and the brand "BOUSINAGE," as well as the owner and CEO of "WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC.
Aleksovych has a Master's degree in sensory analysis in food technologies, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Bordeaux, and is a postgraduate student at the Odessa National Technological University.
==Biography==
Victoria Aleksovych was born in the city of Khust in the Zakarpattia region in a family of teachers and doctors. She studied at Khust General Education School No. 1 with an in-depth study of the French language.
In 1997, Victoria Aleksovych entered Uzhhorod National University, Faculty of Romance-Germanic Philology, graduating in 2002 with a degree in "Philology, teacher of French language and world literature."
From 2002 to 2005, Victoria Aleksovych worked as a teacher of French language, history of France, and world literature at the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation at the International University of Human Development "Ukraine" in Khust.
During 2002–2004, while teaching, she also worked as a translator-assistant for Alain Babel, a co-founder of "KARPATICA" LLC (Khust), which specialized in wood processing and trading as well as producing staves for barrels.
In 2004, Victoria Aleksovych and Alain Babel founded the company "POLLUX" LLC in Khust. The company specialized in wood processing and trading, as well as the construction of wooden houses. From 2004 to 2015, Victoria Aleksovych held the CEO position of "POLLUX" LLC. Soon she left her teaching practice to focus on entrepreneurship.
In 2005, Victoria Aleksovych expanded her business activities and co-founded "WOOD INDUSTRIES" LLC in Luxembourg with her husband Alain Babel, where she served as the manager from 2005 to 2019.
In 2014, Aleksovych and Babel decided to focus exclusively on the production and sale of staves for oak barrels for aging wine, leading to the establishment of "OAK&WINE" LLC in Luxembourg. In 2015, they created "WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC in Khust, Transcarpathia, where the company's production facilities are located. The company's products are exported abroad.
In 2016, "OAK&WINE" LLC acquired the patent "PROCESS DE BOUSINAGE," authored by Jacques Schnederwind, to produce alternative oenological oak products for aging alcoholic beverages.
Besides barrel staves, "WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC manufactures alternative oak products under the brand "BOUSINAGE" for oenology, used in the fermentation and aging of wines, spirits and beer. The company's products are among the top three in the world according to blind tests.
"WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC has a professional engineering and design office that develops all equipment for production needs.
Working in the cooperage industry, Victoria Aleksovych became interested in winemaking. In 2020, she enrolled in the Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies, Faculty of Winemaking Technology and Tourism Business, graduating in 2022 with a Master's degree in "Sensory Analysis in Food Technologies."
In 2021, Aleksovych completed a course and obtained a diploma with distinction in Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 qualification in wine at the Ukrainian Wine & Spirit School.
Having obtained a Master's degree in sensory analysis in food technologies, Victoria Aleksovych decided to continue her scientific activity and enrolled in a postgraduate program at ONTU, as well as started doctoral studies at the University of Bordeaux under the supervision of Professor of Oenology Pierre-Louis Teissedre.
Her research at the University of Bordeaux's laboratory allowed Victoria Aleksovych to study in detail the molecular-level impact of oenological wood on wine, scientifically substantiating and proving the feasibility of using oak alternatives in winemaking, which is currently prohibited in Ukrainian legislation, unlike the International Oenological Codex.
"WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC is among the top 10 largest woodworking companies in Ukraine.
In 2023, "WOOD INTERNATIONAL" LLC was included in the FORBES NEXT 250 list.
==Public Activity==
===Humanitarian Aid===
From the first days of the war in Ukraine, Victoria Alexovych actively participated in evacuating and providing shelter to people from hotspots in Ukraine. She also founded the charity fund "Emmaus" and, together with her husband, colleagues, friends, and partners from France, purchased and brought more than 500 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, worth over 1 million euros. The aid was precisely delivered to the most needed places and hotspots in Ukraine.
===Development of Winemaking===
Victoria Alexovych is actively involved in the development of winemaking in Transcarpathia. In June 2023, together with the co-owner of the wine space "Syrovyna," Olga Toyichkina, and supported by the Transcarpathian regional administration, Alexovych organized the first professional winemakers' competition in Transcarpathia "Wines of the Silver Land", which allowed small winegrowers to present themselves. The jury included the best sommeliers of Ukraine, led by the president of the Association of Sommeliers of Ukraine, Ivan Bachurin. The competition, which will be held annually under the name WinePro.
Together with Olga Toyichkina and Tetiana Literati (an Honored Journalist of Ukraine and author of the books "Uzhhorod. Untold Stories," "Lost Uzhhorod»), Victoria is working on collecting materials and facts about the history of winemaking in Transcarpathia, which will be published soon.
==References==
Category:1981 births
Category:Ukrainian businesspeople
Category:Ukrainian people
Category:Ukrainian scientists