We visited farmers who make a unique secret cheese. It is not found anywhere else in the world

Topic news We visited a farm in the Molodechno district, where cows nibble grass, and also in a workshop where MILK is turned into unique delicacies. These can be bought only in Belarus and only from.

They were introduced by a pig.

On the farm of cheese makers Alexander Kavetsky and Anastasia Shandrikova, as in the picture, black and motley cows are imposingly grazing on the green lush grass - beautiful and clean, as if they had taken a shower in the morning. One of them is Malyuta, an Instagram star. Subscribers to the account of Molodechno cheese makers have already seen her in videos more than once. Anastasia and Alexander warn: no matter how tame and friendly a cow is, we must not forget that it is an animal , which means it can accidentally butt. There are five cows in their mini-herd, each of which is a source of not only joy, creativity and well-being, but also a lot of trouble. Our heroes also have a pig, decorative rabbits and chickens on their farm. And they are all surrounded by care.
“Our pig lives a luxury life,” Anastasia laughs contagiously. - He eats a lot of milk, which remains after our experiments with cheeses. Since childhood, pigs drink only whey, which is why their MEAT is special.

The young people met thanks to their love for animals. Anastasia Shandrikova is a veterinarian . She treated animals both on the farm and in the zoo, and also provided consultations online . Three years ago, Alexander Kavetsky turned to her for help: a pig on his farm farrowed 24 babies and could not feed them. At first, Anastasia and Alexander saved a pig and piglets together, then they began to communicate, became friends and... fell in love.

Alexander notes: it’s worth looking for professionals like his wife - Master of Veterinary Sciences, graduated from an international master’s program, received a patent in the treatment of animals. The husband speaks with pride, and one can read in his eyes how much he loves his wife.



Anastasia was born in Ukraine , but in 2011 she moved to Belarus to her first husband - to the Gomel region. She stayed there with her two daughters after the divorce.

“I can provide for myself with children, but in Alexander I saw a fortress person who you can trust, with whom you will not be lost,” Anastasia explains her decision to marry Alexander and looks at him with loving eyes.

Local authorities support

Hard everyday rural work and the creation of their own agribusiness do not frighten our heroes. Anastasia assures that you don’t have to have money to start:

- You can develop with the help of other resources, gain knowledge, experience, and then make money. Moreover, this can be done everywhere - both on a collective farm and in a metropolis, choosing absolutely any niche for business, includingAgriculture . I believe that this is one of the most noble activities in the world.
Alexander is a city guy. He moved to the village, where out of 52 houses only four are currently inhabited, in 2014, when he became unemployed. He was not embarrassed by the fact that his great-grandfather’s house had been empty for 20 years and was in need of renovation. And Alexander still knew little about how to run a farmstead. Nevertheless, he got cows, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks and managed this farm himself.

“I learned everything: how to milk, what to feed the cattle so that they were healthy, and how to cook cheese,” the man recalls.

The grandfather's house, in which the young family of Alexander and Anastasia, a well-deserved "pensioner", later settled, was built back in the 1950s. They installed water there, made a bathroom, replaced windows and doors. And at this point the repairs were paused. All funds were used to develop the business and create comfort for the animals, which are a priority for these farmers. Therefore, in the barn even the water is connected to carry out udder hygiene, clean up after the cows, and give them water. On a hot day, everyone can drink up to 70 liters!
Animal care and milking -Alexander's concern . Anastasia creates a menu for the cows and monitors their HEALTH. Most of the time is spent driving the animals from the field to the barn and bandaging them. And milking can be done in a couple of hours with the help of two milking machines and a lot of experience.

“Our cows don’t give one hundred liters of milk a day,” the owner admits. - But, for example, we already get 38 liters a day from Morozka. On average, the entire herd produces 130-150 liters per day. The average fat content of milk is 3.7. If we handed it over for recycling, it would be considered top-class.

Anastasia says that local authorities support them. For example, 10 hectares of land were allocated for pasture.

- They also help with food. We do not have the opportunity to make hay, and we need a lot of it. If one cow eats 8 bales over the winter - each weighing 400 kilograms, then can you imagine how much supply is needed? We went to OJSC “Gorodylovo” for a reception with the DIRECTOR Dmitry Nikolaevich Gramovich, he said: “Guys, I understand what it’s like to start from scratch,” and supported. And the hay on his farm is excellent both in terms of nutritional value and feed units - with a palatability of 98%.

“After fakap I went to study”

Today’s life of Alexander and Anastasia takes place mainly between the farmstead, where their mini-farm is located, and Molodechno, where the cheese production workshop is located. In September 2023, they registered their peasant farm, rented a workshop in December, and it began working in February.
Who is the main cheesemaker in the family? Alexander, of course, will say that it’s his wife. At the same time, even before meeting his future wife, he himself cooked both Adyghe and halloumi from milk.

“We decided that we need to develop this business,” Anastasia begins the story. - First, I tried to whip the first butter - there was a lot of delight. Then they started making cheeses , but suffered several failures. Almost $1.5 thousand worth of food was thrown away - a huge loss for our family, whose income was only $200 a month. After such a fakap, I went to study at an online cheese making school. Little by little I came up with my own recipe, implemented it, and adjusted it for local production.

Today, the whole mystery of turning milk into various products takes place in a spacious workshop, and not in a small kitchen in a village house.
- Previously, I had to get up every hour at night, since there was no pH meter - an acidity meter, and try the mozzarella - whether it stretches or not. Today in the CHEESE FACTORY, thanks to technology, I obtain the required acidity, fat content and elasticity of the cheese dough. Now I have everything I dreamed of when I started my journey,” Anastasia smiles. “They could have bought a car, but invested the money in a cheese factory, a cooler tank and a butter churn.”

Molodechno farmers specialize in extracted cheeses - pasta filata. Essentially, this is mozzarella dough, from which not only mozzarella is made, but also suluguni, a sandwich cheese.

- In Italy and Brazil, I saw cheeses with different fillings. I started looking for a way to contact those who produce them. The masters made contact, but did not share recipes. So, through trial and error, I created my own Segreto cheese (translated from Italian as “secret”), and received copyright for it. It's a secret because you won't know what's inside until you cut it open. Today, such cheese can only be bought in Belarus and only here,” Anastasia proudly emphasizes.

And he notices that they started with two fillings, and today there are already more than 15 of them. You cut the HEAD, and there are tomatoes with pine nuts or cherries with chocolate in the soft cheese. There is even black cheese with caviar.

Anastasia shows how she makes stracciatella from cheese dough, which, by the way, does not contain a single gram of flour: she picks up a piece soft as plasticine and begins to stretch it out almost the entire width of her hands. The dough is hot, its temperature can reach up to 80 degrees. We can imagine how it burns Anastasia’s fingers, but you can’t tell by her smile. The stretched pieces are placed in ice water for a short time to stabilize, then they are tipped into a colander and they begin to tear into strings.

- It is considered ideal if the thickness of the cheese threads is such that they can enter through the eye of the needle. We have a thousand reviews about this product - and all are positive. They write that it is pleasure, bliss and even “like heaven in your mouth,” notes Anastasia.

She believes that stracciatella is one of the most common products for creating masterpiece dishes. It can be consumed with both fruits and meat.

We try freshly prepared stracciatella with cream and mango pieces. And why was this dish once considered food for the poor among the Italians? I support those who, at the “Own Cheese” festival, rated this exquisite and delicate delicacy very highly, and it took second place in the “People’s Choice” nomination. The secret cheese Segreto traditionally also receives many excellent reviews. It has already received high praise from professionals from the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry at the cheese festival, which took place in the capital's botanical garden. We got the “secret” cheese with tuna and mango - this is a top seller. It is so delicious that it is difficult to find words. As well as a cheese roll with trout, and hard cheese with cognac...

Let's move on to the sweets. Rafael cheese sweets, chocolate curds on a stick - likepopsicle ice cream , cottage cheese rolls with fruit and nut fillings, chocolate spread, which last year took second place in the “People's Choice” nomination at the “Miru-Cheese!” festival. Then, in just two days, 75 kilograms of pasta were sold out, and there wasn’t enough for everyone.
We are surprised how many interesting and tasty things can be made from milk. In talented hands, it turns into masterpieces - useful and unique. Molodechno farmers are accustomed to enthusiasm for their products and note that they are preparing new products - cheeses with mold and propionic acid bacteria.

- More than 70% of our cheeses are original developments. “I would like to show them to my Italian and Brazilian colleagues so that they know what a girl created in Belarus,” Anastasia shared her dream.

“This is unique manual labor.”

Demand for the products of our heroes exceeds supply. Almost all of them are prepared by pre-order. The client base arose thanks to word of mouth. Anastasia approaches everything professionally: in order to make cheese, she graduated from school with the best cheese makers in RUSSIA in order to develop an enterprise - the Moscow Academy of Economics and Business. Everything she does is reasonable and thoughtful.

- On the logo of our company there is a cow’s face in the form of a fingerprint, which indicates the following: our products are handmade, unique, like a fingerprint. We have a full cycle - from cows to cheese. We sometimes raise animals from their birth,” Anastasia says proudly.
Of course, one could buy milk from others and only cook cheese, but for Molodechno farmers the quality of raw materials comes first. And only by creating it with their own hands can they be sure that the product will be of the highest quality.

- We submit it for laboratory tests , although we ourselves check formastitis , radiology, availability of antibiotics . We care for and cherish our little cows. And we carefully select other ingredients for our dairy products,” farmers say. Although

business brings joy to Alexander and Anastasia, it is difficult: in three years there have been only one and a half days off, and they still can’t find more than four hours of sleep a day. They hope that when they find helpers - cheese makers and a cattle farmer - it will become easier. So far, their small team includes an accountant, a sales manager, a courier driver and a cleaner who share the values ​​of a farming family.

- When you develop your business , all entertainment fades into the background, because the priorities are different. You don’t even have time to talk on the phone for a long time - you’re always studying, doing self-development. When I really can’t bear it, I ask Alexander to “take me for a walk” somewhere in the city,” Anastasia smiles and adds: “You always have to sacrifice something.”

Despite all the difficulties, this young couple does not look like sufferers in any way - only happy and successful people. Where do they get their energy from?

“The strongest motivator is yourself,” admits Anastasia. - Even the most skillful teacher will not put love for work into you. But inside everyone there is a child who wants to create, and it is he who gives the energy. It is also important to understand that it is normal when not everything works out right away. We must calmly admit defeat, continue to move forward, and not give up.
Anastasia knows better than many how to move forward without giving up, even when others have given up. She learned to walk three times, the last time at age 19. Due to the negligence of doctors, little Nastya became infected with Staphylococcus aureus, the infection entered the hip joint and almost completely destroyed it. The girl spent six years in a cast, then in the Elizarov apparatus, enduring severe pain . It’s good that there was a loving mother nearby who read fairy tales and helped solve math problems.
“The doctors are still trying to put me in a wheelchair,” says Anastasia.
 
She looks at me with radiant, laughing eyes, and I understand that a wheelchair will not happen. After all, this adult woman, twice a mother, loving wife, cheese maker, has such an incredibly powerful inner child... And he helps her become a winner in everything!

Belarus is a dairy country and today occupies a leading position in the world in the EXPORT of butter and cheese, so Molodechno farmers were bold to enter even the domestic market with their products.

“Yes, we have entered a niche where we have many colleagues and a lot of competition,” admits Anastasia. - But we are not equal to our competitors. If you do your job with love, then you are not trying to do it better than someone else, but better than yourself yesterday.

One of the most common questions to Anastasia is: why does she work without gloves? To which the cheesemaker remarks:
“The most famous chef in the world, who has 32 Michelin stars, does not have a single pair of gloves.” He says that this is a matter of honor and cleanliness. Gloves won't stop a cook or producer from scratching himself somewhere. Hands sweat a lot when wearing gloves, sweat accumulates under them and pathogenic microflora quickly develops. You feel better without gloves, and if your hands become sticky and dirty, it’s easier to wash them right away. We work with hot cheese dough, and latex (the material from whichgloves ) may spill onto food. In our business, clean and damage-free hands, trimmed nails without varnish are important.

The project was created using targeted funds for the production of national content.

Svetlana KIRSANOVA,
newspaper "7 days".