Anna Babina, a 31-year-old mother of many children from Kyiv Oblast, lives in the beautiful village of Halaiky with her family. She is raising three children: eight-year-old Zakhar, five-year-old Solomiia, and two-month-old Makarchyk. In addition to raising her children, Anna is actively engaged in farming and runs the family cheese business and develops soap making.
Cheese dairy " Babyni Kozy"
On the banks of the Molochna River, in the village of Halaiky in Kyiv Oblast, there is a farm and cheese factory called Babyni Kozy. Together with her husband, she breeds Saanen goats, produces goat milk, and makes handmade craft cheeses. The farm is always open to visitors, who can see the production process and taste the cheeses during tours and tastings. Anna also makes soap from goat's butter and milk, mostly in the winter due to time constraints.
Challenges of war and new opportunities
The outbreak of the war forced Anna and her family to reconsider their plans and adapt to the new conditions. She explains:
"When the war started, we abandoned all our hobbies, and we had to react quickly and think about what to do with the livestock, how to restore connections with shops and supermarkets. Almost everything came to a standstill. We worked hard to establish sales, but the war forced us to start all over again."
Anna and her family participated in small fairs, but it was not enough for their production volumes. They tried to return to the market, but sales were no longer the same as before the war. In response to the new challenges, the family decided to sell most of the herd and keep only 30 milk goats.
"There are no more problems with sales, supply and demand are the same. We do not produce as much as we used to, but now it is not difficult to sell the volumes we produce," says Anna.
Development of soap making
She learned about the revolving fund from an advertisement on the Internet and applied for a grant. This financial support was a pleasant surprise for her. Anna spent the grant money on soap making. She purchased new molds, essential oils, and made many batches of soap, which can be purchased online or directly at the farm.
The soap has a lot of positive properties, because its base is completely natural and consists of goat butter, milk, essential oils and soda as a detergent. Cold-brewed from scratch, it retains all its beneficial properties.
"For people with problem skin and allergies, this is an ideal product. This is our business card, a kind of souvenir product that can be purchased as a souvenir that will not deteriorate during transportation. Many people make soap with goat's milk, but very few with butter," says Anna.
Future prospects
Anna's third pregnancy threw her off track somewhat, and she has not yet been able to realize her plans to sell her soap at the store and supermarket level. But she does not lose hope and dreams of developing her business, because her products are unique and have great potential.
"I want to bring it to people because it's a great product, a unique product," Anna adds with a smile.
