Bilasovytsi Cheese Dairy, Bilasovytsia

Bilasovytsi Cheese Dairy is a small family dairy in the Transcarpathian village of Bilasovytsia, set at about 600 metres above sea level at the foot of Mount Pikui. The cheesemakers work to their own recipes rather than copying parmesan, gouda or gruyère: their idea is to prove that Ukrainian mountain cheese can be distinctive and stand proudly next to European classics. That is why the dairy signs its products with the motto “Cheese at altitude”.

What to taste

The dairy's pride is its long-aged sheep's cheese. The official Transcarpathian “Cheese Route” on the regional tourism portal singles out Bilasovytsia as the place where you can taste sheep's cheese aged for three years — a real rarity among Ukrainian dairies. Milk comes from animals grazing at 800–1,000 metres on the slopes of the Watershed Ridge, so the flavour changes with the seasons and the mountain herbs.

The range published on the dairy's website includes:

• bryndza — in brine and in jars;
• cow's milk vurda — a delicate whey cheese and one of the bestsellers;
• signature cheeses with their own names — Bilosnizhnyi, Polovyi, Soniachnyi, Makivskyi, Bilasovytskyi and Beskydskyi;
• herb cheeses and hard aged cheeses;
• cured meats (dry-cured sausage, balyk) and homemade quince and pear preserves.

If you want the full spectrum, there is a tasting set weighing about one and a half kilograms. Visitors' online reviews mention that staff happily let you sample before buying, can vacuum-pack your purchase and accept card payments. Keep in mind that the cheeses contain no preservatives, so keep them cool and use a cool bag on longer drives.

The cheesemaking tradition of the Verkhovyna

The upper Volovets area is a land of mountain pastures where sheep have always been kept and bryndza made in shepherds' huts. Bilasovytsia lies below Pikui, the highest peak of the Ukrainian Beskids, right on the border between Transcarpathia and Lviv region, and traditional sheep farming survives here to this day. The dairy works hand in hand with a local breeding farm that raises Carpathian mountain sheep (they share a contact number), so the sheep's milk travels a very short way from pasture to cheese vat.

Practical information

• Address: Bilasovytsia village, Nyzhni Vorota community, Mukachevo district (formerly Volovets district), Zakarpattia region. The dairy stands right by the M06 Kyiv–Chop highway.
• Opening hours: according to OpenStreetMap, daily 9:00–18:00; it is best to confirm by phone before you go.
• Prices: according to the website catalogue, cheeses cost roughly UAH 450–800 per kilogram and the tasting set is UAH 900. Prices may change.
• Phone: +38 050 330 48 12 (Viber, Telegram), +38 050 465 85 77.
• Delivery orders can be placed via the website or social media.

Please confirm by phone before your trip.

Getting there

The easiest way is by car along the M06: Bilasovytsia lies on the stretch between Nyzhni Vorota and the Lviv region border, so the dairy is a natural stop on the way from Lviv to Mukachevo or Uzhhorod. It is about 20 kilometres from Volovets. Travellers coming by train usually get off in Volovets or Nyzhni Vorota and continue by taxi.

Website and social media: syrbilasovytsi.com.ua · facebook.com · instagram.com · facebook.com

Photos: static.wixstatic.com; zaktour.gov.ua; bm.img.com.ua.