Bitter Apples for Cider, Sweet Ones for Juice: How Apple Orchards Are Made Profitable in Zakarpattia

The couple belongs to the European Longo Maï network of cooperatives, which brings together communities in different European countries. People there live and work together, doing what is close to them. This is usually farming — growing vegetables, tending orchards and caring for animals — as well as social and political activities. Longo Maï has been operating in Ukraine since 1993. At one time, the cooperative also contributed to the establishment of the now well-known Selyska Cheese Dairy.

«An acquaintance from Germany helped us with the technology. We immediately decided to make not just apple juice, but blends with beetroot and celery, and to use glass packaging exclusively. Because our commune is about environmental responsibility, respect for nature and caring for future generations,» the craft producer notes.

They bought apples from local residents, but later began visiting orchards themselves and selecting the fruit they needed. Volunteers also take part in the harvesting — friends and acquaintances who come to work and spend a few days in Zakarpattia.

However, relying solely on old village orchards was becoming increasingly difficult.

«When the season begins, an orchard owner wants one thing: to harvest the apples as quickly as possible. The rains begin. The fruit falls from the trees. Not everyone is willing to wait for the right degree of ripeness or sort the fruit. That was when we realised that if we wanted to work seriously with apples, we needed our own orchard,» says Olha Zubyk.

Together with the Selyskyi Maietok agricultural service cooperative, they leased 14 hectares of land. The first trees were planted in December 2020, and the next plot was planted at the end of 2021. They expect to harvest only the first few kilograms of fruit this season. Therefore, they continue to buy apples from local residents. After all, the original idea has not disappeared: to give the old orchards around Nyzhnie Selyshche an economic reason to remain orchards.

They managed to establish juice production. Last season, the farm produced approximately 4.5 thousand litres of juice. Selling it, however, proved more difficult.«Juices are great. But it is a niche product. Not everyone is willing to pay what direct-pressed juice is actually worth,» the farmer explains.Therefore, the team donates part of its products to the military in the east, children’s camps and charitable causes. In addition, they sell juice at tourist locations in Zakarpattia, as well as at Good Wine.

Jürgen suggested developing another area — cider. For this purpose, special bitter and bittersweet apple varieties were planted in the orchard. While the trees are still growing, they use local wild and semi-wild apples. This is where the cider gets its name — «Dychka.»

The processing facility was equipped with a second-hand Austrian line. First, the apples are washed. Then they go into a crusher and subsequently into a press. For juice, the next stage is the pasteuriser. The freshly pressed juice is heated to approximately 75°C. It is then bottled and sealed. The shelf life of such juice is up to two years.

Alongside apple juice — unpasteurised, of course — another product emerged: apple cider vinegar.

The technology for cider is different: the apples are also washed, crushed and pressed, but this is followed by a fermentation process lasting several months, which is carefully monitored and adjusted when necessary. This process must take place slowly, as the future cider needs time to fully develop its aroma. If the apples were underripe, overripe or dirty, they will not produce high-quality cider. The temperature during the first fermentation must also be optimal — ideally between 6°C and 8°C — while taking into account that fermentation causes the temperature inside large barrels to rise.

That is why Olha and Jürgen want to invest in a large refrigeration unit this year. Due to climate change, the harvest is shifting to early autumn, while temperatures remain too high. Support from CraftUP Ukraine will be directed specifically towards the purchase of this equipment.

In addition to the orchard, the couple keeps Lacaune dairy sheep. Olha took cheesemaking courses, and a specialist from Austria helped them establish the process. They already have a separate facility for cheese production.

«I also do not want to create competition for the cheese dairies that already exist. So we are thinking of making products that others do not yet produce, for example, a product that is rare on the Ukrainian market — Camembert made from unpasteurised sheep’s milk,» the farmer notes.

Separately, the cooperative is developing a meat production line — making dry-cured sausage. But while the cheese and meat projects are still in the process of being implemented, the couple is ready to scale up their work with apples. Olha sees the farm as a diversified project where horticulture, processing and livestock farming complement one another. At the same time, it is a place that brings people together.

For reference: CraftUP Ukraine is an educational and grant project for craft food producers organised by the online publication AgroPortal.ua with the support of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine. The project consists of several stages. The first was a study of the Ukrainian craft production market, based on the results of which a training programme was developed. Its participants included 40 craft producers from different regions of Ukraine.

Following the educational stage, 10 finalists were selected and are now preparing for the final presentation of their business projects. In September, they will present them to the Expert Council. At the same time, the CraftUP Ukraine team is introducing the audience to the stories of all the finalists, while the participants themselves are taking part in individual mentoring sessions with industry experts.

Information about the project on the page of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine

Ivanna Panasiuk, AgroPortal.ua