Golden Fruit sweets, Bushtyno

Golden Fruit is a confectionery producer in Bushtyno in the Tiachiv area that has been making chocolates of dried fruit and walnuts in chocolate glaze since 2006. The factory calls its products “Sweets from Liudmyla”: it is a women-led family business that grew from a few kinds of sweets into a wide range and gift sets. Over the years the producer has planted its own plum orchard, in 2010 the brand won the “Leader of the Year” award, and its sweets are sold all over Ukraine and travel abroad. Golden Fruit is listed among Zakarpattia’s craft producers on the region’s official tourism portal.

Why stop in Bushtyno

Right on Torhova Street in Bushtyno there is a brand shop at the factory, where you can buy sweets loose or boxed, pick a gift set and try new flavours. The shop has hundreds of reviews on Google Maps, with buyers most often praising the dried fruit and the choice. Bushtyno lies on the main road of the Tysa valley, so it is a handy stop on the way to Rakhiv, Solotvyno or Kolochava. There are no factory tours — people come here for a sweet gift to take home.

What to try and buy

• Prunes with walnuts in chocolate glaze — the best-known item.
• The Fruit Paradise range — prunes, dried apricots, cherries, figs and apple in chocolate glaze.
• Dates and peaches with walnuts, apricots with prunes, and the Sweet Secret and Bushtyno sweets.
• Gift sets and mixes — from small boxes to 1.35 kg assortments.

The recipe is simple and honest: stoned dried fruit, a walnut kernel and chocolate glaze, with no preservatives, colourings or sweeteners. These are very Transcarpathian treats: in the orchards of the Tysa valley plums and walnuts grow by almost every house, and dried plums were long the main sweet winter store in village pantries.

These sweets make a practical travel gift: they are light, survive the journey well and keep for a long time in a cool, dry place. They are best with strong tea or coffee, and prunes with walnuts also go well with a glass of Transcarpathian red wine. If you are buying for several families, the gift sets are a handy choice.

Practical information

• Address: 3 Torhova Street, Bushtyno, Tiachiv district, Zakarpattia region.
• Shop hours: according to Google Maps, Mon–Sat 8:00–18:00, closed on Sunday; please check before you go.
• Phone: +380689749294, +380313469963.
• Wholesale and delivery: the producer also sells wholesale and ships orders across Ukraine by courier — ask about terms by phone.

Getting there

Bushtyno lies on the Mukachevo–Rakhiv road between Khust (about 25 km) and Tiachiv (about 15 km), above the Tysa river. The town has a railway station, so you can come by train or by the buses that run along the Tysa valley. In hot weather keep the glazed sweets somewhere cool so the chocolate does not melt on the way.

Website and social media: goldenfruit.ub.ua

Photos: zaktour.gov.ua; web.archive.org.