Anna Posikera | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Age: 36

Occupation: Founder and Marketing Manager, The Tisto Factory

In 2022, after fleeing the war in Ukraine with her husband and two children, Anna Posikera felt like she had lost everything. She arrived in Calgary through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program with little English knowledge and no community connections.

But Calgarians welcomed Posikera’s family right away. At a potluck one day, some guests noticed the eye-catching perogies Posikera had developed for her children’s picky palates, and encouraged her to sell them.

So, Posikera turned her pain into purpose. She and her husband sold their car and used the funds to rent commercial kitchen space.

In 2023, they launched The Tisto Factory, a brand of colourful, artisanal perogies with natural vegetable-based colouring (like carrots, beets and spinach) and gourmet fillings — no artificial dyes or flavours included.

Initially, Posikera only sold at markets and online. Today, The Tisto Factory is an award-winning company with 12 varieties of perogies stocked on the shelves of Calgary Co-op and Sobeys.

“When you’re meeting with [customers] and telling them your stories, at that moment you realize you are not alone,” says Posikera. “A lot of people share the same story, and it gave us the power to move on.”

Tisto (which is Ukrainian for “dough”) is much more than a business for Posikera. While the company has doubled its sales revenue in the past year alone — a testament to Posikera’s marketing chops to be sure — she still attends all the local markets, meeting with customers face-to-face and sharing her journey.

Her experience as a newcomer who felt the generosity of Calgarians has led her to deeply root herself in the community. The Tisto Factory employs other Ukrainians fleeing from the war, giving them a chance to rebuild their lives in Canada.

“We want to [hire fellow Ukrainians] to help change their lives as my life was changed,” says Posikera.

Thank yous
“I’m deeply grateful to the Calgary community for welcoming me with open arms and standing by me during the darkest moments of my life. You became a home when I needed one the most. A heartfelt thank-you to Avenue Magazine for showing me that anything is possible — and for reminding me that this is only the beginning. To my family and friends: thank you for believing in me and helping turn my boldest ideas into reality. None of this would be possible without you.”