Konyk farm — orchards and juices, Storozhnytsia

Konyk is a family farm in the village of Storozhnytsia, which adjoins Uzhhorod to the south-west. Founded in 1992, over three decades it has grown into one of Zakarpattia's notable fruit and potato producers: the farm works about 360 hectares, of which roughly 120 ha are orchards — apples, pears and sweet cherries — and the rest potatoes. For many Ukrainians the Konyk brand means, above all, the Transcarpathian sweet cherries awaited across the country every June, and apple juice in glass bottles. The farm keeps an active Instagram showing the seasonal work in the orchards, so you can follow farm life before your trip.

Why Konyk matters to travellers

Orchard tours at Konyk are not confirmed, so this is first of all an address for anyone who wants to taste and take home genuine Transcarpathian fruit and juice. The main way to buy is the farm's online shop with delivery across Ukraine: order cherries in season, a crate of apples in autumn or juice at any time of year. Konyk juices also turn up in shops. If you are staying in Uzhhorod or driving past Storozhnytsia, call ahead and ask whether you can buy on site — that way the fruit comes to you straight from the orchard.

What to try and buy

• Sweet cherries — the first harvest of the season, picked from early June; they are shipped in small batches, and in the first days demand usually outstrips supply.
• Apples — from classic Golden Delicious to short-season varieties, harvested from late summer into autumn.
• Pears and other fruit in season.
• Cold-pressed juice in glass — apple (including Golden), apple-pear, apple with cinnamon and other blends, with no added sugar or preservatives.

More than fifteen years ago Konyk was among the first in Ukraine to make cold-pressed juice from its own fruit. The process is closed-loop — from picking the apples to pressing, pasteurising and bottling in glass — and only whole, fresh, undamaged fruit is used. The orchard season is a constant battle with the weather: in spring the farm protects the blossom from frost, in summer it shields the crop from hail with anti-hail nets.

Fruit growing is an old tradition in Zakarpattia. The mild climate of the Uzh valley and the Tysa plain lets cherries, apples and pears ripen earlier here than in most of Ukraine, and the orchards around Uzhhorod and Mukachevo supplied markets across Central Europe for centuries.

Practical information

• Address: 13 Zavodska St., Storozhnytsia, Uzhhorod district, Zakarpattia region.
• Phone: +38 099 369 94 33, +38 093 532 28 45.
• E-mail: [email protected], [email protected].
• Website: konyk.ua with an online shop; Instagram konikfarm, Facebook TMkonik.
• Season: cherries from early June, apples from late summer into autumn, juice all year round. Check collection times and prices by phone or on the website.

Getting there. Storozhnytsia is practically a suburb of Uzhhorod, a few kilometres from the city centre towards Chop. Uzhhorod is easy to reach by train (including direct services from Kyiv and Lviv) or by bus, then by city transport or taxi. By car, take the road from Uzhhorod towards Chop and follow your navigation to Zavodska Street. This is not a tourist service, so always arrange your visit in advance.

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

Photos: zaktour.gov.ua; instagram.com; konyk.ua.