(within the frame of the Grant Programme in the Organic Sector supported by Switzerland)
About the farm
Vadym Chykalo established his family business in 2017 in Shylivka village, Poltava region. He started growing vegetables, berries, and herbs first for his own consumption to maintain his family’s health. The main principle is absence of synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs.
As soon as in 2018, Vadym started the process of organic certification of the farm and in 2020 he gathered his first harvest of certified organic products. The farm grows a wide range of organic products: vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, aubergines, corn, pumpkin, etc.), berries, herbs, as well as cereals and legumes (oats, barley, soybeans, etc.), which are extremely important for crop rotation.
The products were sold mainly in bulk at local markets and through local outlets without organic labelling. Establishing systematic sales of value-added products was Vadym’s main objective. To reach it he began to develop his own brand called Chysta Izha.
Support within the Grant Programme and achievements
Within the frame of the Grant Program in the Organic Sector supported by Switzerland Vadym was able to get closer to his goal. The grant project funds were used to purchase equipment for packing and labelling products, as well as packing materials, containers for storing and transporting organic products.
A logo for the Chysta Izha brand, a visual concept and a unified style for labelling, as well as branding elements for different types of packaging were also developed. Based on this, labels for the brand’s organic products were designed and produced. Some of the 2025 crop have already been packaged using the purchased equipment and sold with organic labelling under their own brand.
The project also included the development and launch of own online store chystaizha.com and social media pages, which are expected to become the main sales channel for the brand’s organic products in the future. Vadym was also able to take part in a practical course “Communications for Organic Business: From Positioning to Promotion” organised within the project “Women Entrepreneurship in the Organic Sector” (WEOS). The knowledge gained will help to systematically promote the online store and social media pages.
Thanks to proper packaging, labelling, and own sales channel, the products are sold as organic, with the appropriate value for the consumer and added value for the producer.
Plans for the future
Vadym plans to further increase production and sales of organic products under his own brand, as well as develop cooperation with other organic operators to sell products to retail chains.
Advice from the founder
Vadym Chykalo: The main thing is to love what you do, and everything else will come in the process. Be sure to believe in your ideas and use every opportunity to implement them. Develop yourself, don’t be shy about asking for advice and be greedy for information about your activities.
* Grant Program in the Organic Sector is funded by Switzerland and implemented within the framework of
- the project “Women Entrepreneurship in the Organic Sector” (WEOS) implemented by ICO “Information Center “Green Dossier” in partnership with Organic Initiative Public Association, and
- the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP) implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).