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Turkey-Leg Jamón — a Unique Product for the Ukrainian Market

08 August 2026, 06:18 4811

The Dvir Indyka craft production business in Poltava Region raises more than 2 tonnes of turkey meat per year, of which only 20% is processed. Its product range includes sausages and frankfurters, as well as various smoked products. The farmers plan to build a fully equipped processing facility, modernise the infrastructure and produce a product unique to the Ukrainian market — jamón made from a turkey leg. To do this, they need a climate-controlled chamber.

It is difficult to implement such ambitious plans using their own resources alone, so farmers Volodymyr and Olena Shaposhnyk regularly take advantage of various opportunities to participate in grant programmes. One of them is the CraftUP Ukraine educational and grant project, in which Dvir Indyka became one of the 10 finalists.

CraftUP Ukraine: 10 Finalists Selected for the Grant Programme

The farmers shifted their focus to turkeys after the start of the full-scale invasion. They began with a flock of up to 100 turkeys. Today, they have 400 turkeys and dream of a new poultry house for 500 birds and moving to a year-round production cycle.

Olena Shaposhnyk, farmer

Turkeys are more to our liking. Although they are more difficult to work with, this is a niche product, and the niche is not yet filled. There is also demand, despite the decline in consumers’ purchasing power. Profitability ranges from 30–40%, depending on the year. Weather conditions, poultry prices, feed prices and other factors also have an impact.

According to the farmer, this year they purchased young birds in early March. As the spring was prolonged and cold, this led to additional expenses for heating, lighting, bedding and ventilation. The farm does not carry out incubation and instead purchases day-old poults.

«There is no strong parent stock of turkeys in Ukraine. Even large companies purchase young birds abroad. We raise BIG 6 heavy-cross turkeys — the largest male reached 32 kg, while the carcass weighed 26 kg,» Volodymyr Shaposhnyk adds.

Prices for young birds fluctuate, but the couple has not noticed any significant increase — unlike feed prices. At the initial stage, the farm uses ready-made starter compound feed, and from the age of two weeks switches to compound feed produced in-house.

They calculate the feed formula themselves using a computer programme. 

Some of the components are grown on their own 1,500 hectares, while the rest — soybean cake and soybean meal — are purchased.

Maintaining sanitary hygiene is also a challenging issue. At Dvir Indyka, the birds are free-range, and this type of rearing is a conscious choice by the farmers because it results in higher-quality meat. However, it also has disadvantages. Wild birds often fly into the area, bringing infections with them.

As for investment in production, Volodymyr and Olena Shaposhnyk invested more than half a million hryvnias at the start. However, they already had several barns, which they only had to modernise for keeping turkeys, and they also cover part of their feed needs with their own raw materials.

As for future plans, the climate-controlled chamber is needed not only for producing jamón. The farmers also plan to make basturma and dry-cured products. They also dream of greater technological capacity, including a meat mixer, which would allow them to take more orders.

«This niche will definitely develop. The product is currently undervalued. We are trying to popularise turkey because consumers are more focused on chicken and do not understand why turkey is more expensive. There should also be an educational component — explaining the benefits of turkey meat. We want to encourage people to love not only turkey, but healthy and wholesome food in general,» Olena Shaposhnyk adds.

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 currently 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 website of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine

Alla Stryzheus, AgroPortal.ua

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