Our Mission

Baba Bags (2019 - 2024)

Our founder, Fedia Kourbatov, got his vision for Baba Bags at age 20 from a bag his grandmother brought to Chicago from Ukraine in the summer of 2018. When Fedia came back home from college that summer he enjoyed occasionally going to the grocery store with his mother to spend a little extra quality time with her (Yes, he's a mama's boy). On a couple of these trips, he observed that while his mother shopped, her new organic cotton bag garnered countless compliments when they walked down the aisle and the cashier was always shocked on how many grocery items the one bag could hold. He also recognized that because of its compact structure, his mother would keep it in her pocket or purse allowing her to always remember her bag, unlike her other bulky reusable gear. ​Fedia soon adopted his grandmother's bag for his own grocery trips, discovering its versatility also as a sand-proof beach bag, lunch carrier, laundry sack, and storage solution.

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Fedia quickly saw an incredible opportunity to help reduce plastic bag usage by sharing his grandmother’s beautiful bag and his beautiful Ukrainian culture with the world! That next Fall, he immediately got to work on his idea in his University of Oklahoma dorm room. Having gotten the idea from this grandmother’s bag Fedia felt compelled to start a social enterprise and dedicate it not only to his grandmothers—Larysa, Valia, and Paraska—but to grandmothers around the world! To him, grandmothers embodied 6 qualities that he cherished. Babas were fun-loving, feisty, authentic, resourceful, giving, and memorable. He believed if Baba Bags used these 6 characteristics it could fulfill its mission of:

Celebrating and uplifting our beautiful planet, our Ukrainian-American roots, and grandmothers all around the world!

 

That’s Baba (2024 – Present)

Once the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022 the brand started diversifying its product line into bandanas, and reusable gift wrap among other things as a way to fundraise for initiatives in Ukraine. Finding success in raising money for Ukraine through these different products, a rebrand felt necessary. On May 1st 2024, on the 5-year anniversary of Baba Bags, the brand was evolved to “That’s Baba”. Our Baba Bags will always be one of our best sellers and near and dear to our hearts as it is the item that started this journey. That’s Baba is excited to explore new ideas and avenues for harnessing and expressing the grandmotherly spirit.

                                               Do Good Like Baba Would!