Rozental Eco-Farm and Cheese Dairy, Kvasy

Kvasy is a Hutsul village in the Chorna Tysa valley between Rakhiv and Yasinia that has recently become Transcarpathia's true craft capital. Beer and cider are brewed here, sheep's-milk ice cream is made, and in the Vaskul area above the village sits the Rozental eco-farm and cheese dairy. People come to taste Hutsul cheeses right where they are made, pet the goats and admire the Svydovets ridge from the pasture.

A story with memory

The dairy opened on 27 April 2019. It was founded by Oleksandr Shatalov, the entrepreneur best known for the Tsypa brewery in Kvasy. The name honours the large Jewish Rosenthal family who once built the first bathhouses at Kvasy's mineral springs, kept an inn and also made cheese; during the Second World War the family was deported to a concentration camp and perished. Today's Rozental aims to bring back the village's lost cheese tradition, including recipes from Austro-Hungarian times.

From 100 litres to a tonne of milk

It started as a small dairy processing about 100 litres of milk a day. To avoid relying on irregular supplies, a farm was added. As of 2023 it kept about 150 goats, 200 sheep and some 20 cows, with part of the flock grazing on the high pasture in summer. Milk is also bought from dozens of local families and carefully tested. The dairy now processes around a tonne of milk a day, using water from a local alkaline mineral spring; some cheeses are flavoured with wild thyme gathered on the pastures.

What to taste

• Hutsul cheeses with local names — Hots, Kievele, Vaskul and the aged Kvasy cheese.
• Caprino — a semi-hard aged cheese from Saanen goats' milk.
• Camembert and other soft cheeses, plus young Primo Sale.
• Aged hard cheeses — matured for up to a year in chambers with constant temperature and humidity.

In total there are about 15 varieties from three kinds of milk; what you taste depends on the season.

What to do on the farm

• Dairy tour and tasting — an introduction to the process and a board of cheeses of different ages.
• "Goat therapy" — pet the goats (Saanen, Alpine, Anglo-Nubian and others) and feed them treats sold on site; children love it.
• Shopping — cheese is sold directly at the farm, and some products can be ordered online.

According to the farm's social media, tours and tastings take place daily. In summer the Rakhiv Hutsul Region tourist centre also leads groups to the Menchul pasture, where the owners restored an old dairy and make an Emmental-style cheese.

Practical information

• Where: Vaskul area, Kvasy, on the slope above the village near a mineral spring.
• Phones: +380 68 247 43 53, +380 93 282 76 76; e-mail: [email protected].
• Hours: per the farm's page, daily 9:00–22:00; ask about tour and tasting prices by phone in advance.
• Tip: expect grass and mud after rain — wear sturdy shoes.

Getting there

Kvasy lies on the Rakhiv–Yasinia road, about 15 km from Rakhiv, and has a railway station on the Ivano-Frankivsk–Rakhiv line. A short footpath of about 2.3 km with roughly 100 m of ascent leads from the village centre to the farm — about an hour's easy walk past springs and pastures with views of Svydovets. You can also drive closer; ask the hosts for directions.

Website and social media: tsypa.beer · facebook.com · instagram.com

Photos: cdn.abo.media; rakhiv.city; zaktour.gov.ua; img.epravda.com.ua.