New Equipment Boosts Rural Business

Sumy region, Ukraine — Sisters Natalia and Halyna welcome us at the entrance to their farm named “Dzhmelyk” in the small village of Zarudne, Sumy region.   

Behind the neat gate there are 42 hectares of apple orchards, a quail farm, and a mixed feed production — once a humble dream that has grown into a large family business and an economic pillar for the community. 

“This is a family business with a long history. This place once was our grandmother’s house. She has three children. One of them, our uncle Ivan Fedorovych, dreamed of having a garden and a pond, and to do a good deed for his village, because when there is no work, people leave and the village dies out,” says Halyna, who is responsible for finance and partnerships. 

Despite the challenges of war, labour shortages, and power outages, Halyna and Natalia help their uncle continue the work, aspiring to develop the business and preserve the family tradition. Every season, they and their children join the harvesting — fostering love of the land and gardening in younger generations. 

The first trees of the modern orchard were planted in 2015. From the very beginning, the founders prioritized modern technology and efficient use of resources, so today the entire apple orchard has automated drip irrigation, with water taken from nearby ponds. Around ten varieties of apples and natural apple juice are sold through small local shops, orders from lyceums and schools from all over Ukraine, as well as online.

After the tour of the orchards, we are invited to the workshop and refrigerator, modernly equipped and spacious premises where the apples are stored, and the juice is made. The sweet smell of apples and cool air accompany our visit.   

“We produce pure apple juice. Nothing but apples. The apples are washed, fed into a chopper, then into a press, from the press to a pasteurizer, and then to a bottling line. We can process about a thousand kilogrammes of apples in a day,” enthusiastically says Viktor, an apple workshop worker. 

Thanks to the grant from IOM, “Dzhmelyk” farm was able to purchase modern equipment, which will help launch new production lines: a jam-making machine, a bottling machine and an acetator. 

“Thanks to this equipment, we plan to start producing apple cider vinegar, jams, and pastille,” says Halyna. 

Currently there is on-going work to build a laboratory where apple cider vinegar will be tested. Halyna and Natalia emphasize that the main thing for them is to make the product natural and unfiltered, preserving all the goodness of apples. 

In addition to the purchase of equipment, the company managed to create new jobs. Currently, “Dzhmelyk” officially employs 16 people, three of whom were hired thanks to an IOM grant. 

“We have an internally displaced family working for us, also our marketing manager was displaced from Luhansk. Although there are difficulties with labour force, we plan to create more jobs, including seasonal ones,” adds Natalia, the company's director.  

The newest addition to the business is a quail farm, established two years ago. 

“We have five rearing rooms with quails of different ages. In total, we have more than 60,000 birds,” says Oksana, the head poultry breeder who oversees all the processes: from loading quail eggs into the incubator to packaging and shipping. 

Quail eggs from “Dzhmelyk” can be found on the shelves of the largest Ukrainian retail chains or ordered online. 

Modern technology is taking business to a new level. In the midst of a full-scale war, small businesses in Ukraine are not only continuing to operate, but are also growing, creating socioeconomic opportunities for their communities and supporting the country's economy. 

“Dzhmelyk” Farm and 42 other businesses in Sumy region received grants from IOM as part of a project funded by the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund.