Architect of positive changes: Valentyn Obshtyr, the owner of Staryi Porytsk
Valentyn Obshtyr, the owner of Staryi Porytsk is sure that organic production is equal to patriotism: “Patriotism is when you take the product and look at the label, who is a producer, whether it is Ukrainian or not…”
There are some people who in any situation find the sense, power and ability to create new opportunities. Even in the darkest thickets they clean the road and put own paths for themselves and surrounding people. Even in the most critical situations when the ground is burning under the feet, because in Ukraine there is such situation happening now, they create new products and build.
- Did you have the thought to leave everything and go away when the war started? - I asked carefully.
- In contrary, I wanted not only to stop but also to build. Having money, I would build another workshop, for example, to process the meat, - Valentyn said. - The only thing which I clearly understood in this situation was to work with double strength: for both those who went to front and those who fled… We have to do something for those people who stayed and want to keep working. Plenty of enterprises have stopped, so those who saved — have to keep economic rear of our country. We have enough raw material and understanding that what exactly should be done now.
Such people will not be fight by any crisis because they have different thinking and vision of the world’s structure, in any situation they will look for extraordinary ways to create new opportunities for themselves and surrounding people…
- I am not telling that crisis is good… Especially, when it is about turbulence in which for example we are living now, - it is not helping to develop. At such time as we are living now, you can not develop in the right art way, you are just trying to keep going and never stop.
If there is a crisis in the country – it is necessary to build
Staryi Porytsk is the enterprise as it is said “time-tested”. It was founded during economic crisis in 2009. During second crisis, in 2014, cheese factory was built in farm, then the milk processing started. Now, in 2023 - there are new products launched, the launching of meat workshop is being calculated gaining momentum...
“If there is a crisis in the country – it is necessary to build”, Valentyn often repeats it. So, 13 years ago experienced economist, the member of Supervising Council left banking case and invested into small farm wishing to build organic farm and as he says himself “to promote the development of healthy Ukrainian nation”.
- Honestly speaking, I have never planned to go into agriculture, our interlocutor admits, - though I am from agriculture environment: my grandfather was a prewar farmer whose farm was taken in 47; the father was also in collective farm.
Valentyn’s father was not satisfied with son’s decision to invest into farm. Because despite the fact that almost whole family “grew up” on the filed, father knew how difficult and “ungrateful” this work is. Nevertheless, son is doing well – the position in Supervising Council of the bank, lives in city, often travels to the Western Europe, and has not held the soil in his hands for a long time.
Meanwhile, Valentyn has traveled throughout Germany observing organic farmland, learning the assortment in organic shops and meeting different experts and specialists of the market.
- Maybe my first tour of farms in Germany played a decisive role because only then I the idea was born – to engage in organic production. Firstly, I thought about processing and distribution, but the crisis in 2009 changed plans a bit, - I had an opportunity to invest into farm where my father worked.
And in 2010 the new stormy chapter of my life called Staryi Porytsk started which I still have been writing with delight.
And in 2010 the new stormy chapter of my life called Staryi Porytsk started which I still have been writing with delight.
- Meaning that you immediately were aimed exactly at organic production?
- Of course, but I did not tell anyone! I immediately knew and saw that we would boil here cheese but I did not talk about it because people were not ready for it. It was enough of that fact that they did not instantly support “organic technology”… I even do not tell what father told me when at first year weeds started growing so much when we were switching to organic processing of the soil…
In general, for those who start it is necessary to be ready to so-called “switching period” which has been lasting for 2 years as both financially and psychologically. For example, for me this period was the most difficult when we here cleaned wheat-grass with chains. I had such period when people were openly telling me: “A banker came here, doesn’t know where to spend his money! He is doing such a silly stuff!”. But later, after 5 years they were arriving to see the result and warmly apologized “taking their words back”.
Organic product — healthy nation
Farm Staryi Porytsk is an operator of organic market and certified by the authority of certification Organic Standard, it requires complex approach for both creation of the product and endurance of all processes including the growing, feeding and production standards. Organic production and approving of certification is being controlled as it is said from the field and feed to ready-to-eat product. Third year in a row the producer is in the list of TOP brands of organic production upon the BrandStory version.
- What is organic production for you: caring attitude to the soil, healthy nation or added value of product?
- First of all, it is nutrition of my children! I have four children, I have not outsourced their food for a long time.
- I buy very little amount of products in supermarkets and markets because real products are becoming less and less. Prior to the time when I owned my own farm, I had bought products from people who really grow up products for the sell as for themselves.
Quite soon, it became the rule on our farm “to make for others as for ourselves”.
Moreover, Valentyn thinks that for example the nutrition in kindergartens must be definitely based on organic production as for example in Austria, in most kindergartens of Switzerland and France. Because, “today in Ukraine there are enough products to provide this process even on the level of kindergartens”, - Valentyn assures.
- It is regular process, consumption of own organic products stimulates the development of pure and healthy products. Switching to organic nutrition in kindergartens and schools is already healthy future of the nation.
Secondly, organic production is an ancient method of land processing plus mechanization, - Obshtyr keeps explaining. - The essence is only one to keep the land for descendants. Because they got used to intensive agriculture… At the expense of what do they reach high productivity? Right due to application mineral fertilization etc. And our fertilization, here they are, they are in our farm. Our cows - are 10 thousand tons of compost every year which we apply to reach good harvest. That’s why livestock farming for us is not additional but necessary option to reach normal fertility of soils.
Besides, livestock feeds on the farm are grown independently on own fields and produced without synthetic additives, that’s why cows are eating organic food either. With the opening of cheese factory the cow’s ration was also changed because significant content of protein in the milk is important when to produce cheese.
- Meaning that organic production stimulates the development of livestock farming?
- In Ukrainian realities yes, - nodding the head Valentyn confirms. - If we could have the opportunity to give our milk as organic with appropriate price, we would produce the cheese, we weren’t involved into such processing of “everything” which we have started doing since 2018. Of course, as we are dairy farm, so at the beginning we were developing exactly the milk processing. At first, we started from cheese of hard group, soft group, butter, curd cheese meaning sour milk cheese etc.
Because, for example, until we hadn’t had the processing, we were giving our milk of extra class by usual price to ordinary producers. That shouldn’t be like that. That’s why you are forced to be involved into plant growing, livestock farming, and processing.
The process of production of dairy products for households is 90% automated. Ukrainian, Dutch, German and other equipment is used. There is a system of herd control. But the most important is compactness and proximity of location because milk does not lose its qualities during transportation:
- Uniqueness of our production is that it is all done in one place! Meaning that we are providing and controlling the whole process, as it is said “from the field to the shelf” with the people withing one settlement. Our farm is 200 meters across the road, that’s why our milk isn’t carried for dozens of km. It is cooled on the farm, there is protein and fat analysis taken and then sent for processing.
Firstly, our uniqueness is in compactness and locality, because our raw material is located “near us”. Thus, we provide the safety of our products, pureness of raw material, and the quality – due to high standards in production.
For now we don’t have where to sell organic animals with organic “premium”, that’s why we will expand assortment and move to meat processing to have normal profitability…
- Meaning that you are planning meat processing?
- Exactly! It is not fast project but we have already had a premise for it. We start from small assortment but if everything is okay, we consider the construction of the workshop being the same as we have for milk processing. Technologists have already developed assortment and we want to turn back into Tradition Store the Mangalica meat (pig’s breed).
Then in longer-term plans there is the processing of grains - flour. Today we are working on other people’s capacities, but we want to build own small qualitative processing of the flour, macaroni, grains, cornflakes etc.
Loyalty of the consumer — is the trust
Nowadays, the production Staryi Porytsk offers more than 40 names of assortment of organic dairy product: hard and pickled cheeses, yoghurts, butter, kefir, fermented baked milk, sour milk cheese, pasteurized milk of various fat contents. Also in assortment you will find organic semi-finished products: cheesecakes, lazy dumplings. Besides, the enterprise is engaged in production of buckwheat grain etc.
Production is presented in local networks, internet stores of healthy food, and maybe the biggest assortment can be found in Silpo on the shelves of the project Tradition Store:
- We got there accidentally. I met Oleksandr Pozyniuk who at that moment was leading the project Tradition Store in Silpo and was looking for a producer as me. Average, reliable and with qualitative products.
We even didn’t plan to be engaged in whole milk group, kefirs, yoghurts… I was thinking about it with a fear at one time, but he persuaded us, and we are very grateful to him. Our volumes of milk processing raised – it is quick processing, quick money. So, since the end of 2018 we entered Tradition Store.
Since 2019 the assortment from Tradition Store started expanding much quicker. Three years ago they put on the shelves frozen products such as: dumplings, pancakes, cheesecakes.
Now in enterprise there is new assortment of frozen products developed including recipe of different types of yoghurts.
It is necessary to be in move and follow the consumers’ tastes, Valentyn understands it for sure even without marketers:
- Consumers’ tastes are changing and we are doing the same. If for example 4 years ago fat-free cheese was a champion and torn up sales because everybody needed “fitness cheese”, so when COVID occurred everyone started telling that for lungs it is necessary to consume more fat, zero curd cheese ended, - give me fat one. So, this is how we are moving.
Valentyn didn’t listen to marketers when he was making a decision about the name of Trademark:
- I’ll be honest - the idea with a name is mine. Though some marketers offered me absolutely another things. The name itself comes from the name of the village. Meaning that we say to consumer “it is our village and the farm, everything is compact and local, situated at one place”.
I planned immediately that with time we would have people arriving for excursions. If it hadn't been COVID, and then war, we would have implemented this project 2 years ago, but now we are planning to launch it this year. I want people to come here and see on their own eyes how our products are made and it will definitely influence on their choice in the future.
- But, it is limited quantity of consumers
- And we are not a mass market…
- How is our loyalty today? You come to the store and in front of you there are 20 types of milk and how do you choose and what do you like? Right, by name, or by label, or maybe you have seen the advertisement. Meaning that, in fact, the consumer doesn’t often chose directly the product itself.
We are offering people another product! We are offering people the product which starts here from the field itself, from feed, and here it is processed. Everything is under control of one company, one Trademark and it is very important and influences on the final product quality.
#BravеOrganicInUkraine
The support to prepare this material was provided by the Project of “German-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of organic agriculture” (COA), which is financed by Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany.
Project #BravеOrganicInUkraine is in cooperation with Organic Standard (Ukrainian Certified authority carrying out the inspection and certification of organic production). And with media support of Organic.Info.