(within the frame of the Grant Programme in the Organic Sector supported by Switzerland)
About the farm
Home Chicken farm was founded in May 2019 in Baranivka village, Zhytomyr region, to produce organic eggs.
Its owner, Olena Stretovych, is well known in the organic business and runs several Ukraine’s leading organic enterprises, i.e., Organic Milk LLC, Organic Meat Product LLC and Home Farm, which specialise in organic dairy, meat and egg production. Olena has been developing this area for over 15 years, having established the companies that have become recognisable not only in Ukraine but also abroad.
Her mission is to protect health of the nation and children, form immunity of future generations, and preserve soil and land. Olena is convinced: “Organic production is not business it is a philosophy.”
The first poultry farm with 5,500 laying hens quickly proved that the demand for organic eggs significantly exceeds the supply. Therefore, the farm began to scale up, and today its production capacity allows keeping about 40,000 organic hens.
Home Chicken Farm’s peculiarity is the full production cycle: from own fields for growing organic feed and free-range hens that have access to sunlight and fresh air to sale of organic eggs at the national retail chains. As a result, the products are known for their high quality and nutritional value and enjoy demand both in Ukraine and abroad. 120 hectares of land are used as free range grounds and for growing own organic feed.
Support within the Grant Programme and achievements
In 2024, the enterprise faced a serious challenge – a fire at one of its farms caused by power surges as a result of russia’s frequent attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. The farm suffered significant losses, but it was at this time that grant support came in which allowed the farm not only to recover but also to take a step forward.
Thanks to the grant, the farm purchased a system for labelling eggs – a printer with a conveyor belt that automated the process and ensured high quality of mandatory information on each egg. According to the requirements of the effective legislation, the labelling must include the egg variety, date of production as well as other information to ensure transparency and consumer confidence. For Organic Chicken, whose eggs are sold at the national retail chains and exported abroad, this equipment has become strategically important: now the labelling can be applied in several languages, including for the UAE and EU markets.
In addition, the farm purchased packaging for organic eggs. This is important as it allows the products to be shipped without delay. An interesting detail: by supplying products to different national retail chains, the farm offers them different types of labelling. This also helps to increase the company’s competitiveness and strengthen its position on the domestic market.
In the first quarter of 2025, including thanks to the grant, the production capacity and sales of organic products almost tripled.
Plans for the future
Today, Home Chicken Farm does not rest on its laurels. The plans include further expansion of organic egg production and launch of a new business line – organic chicken meat production. Olena is convinced that dietary and healthy meat should become available to Ukrainian consumers, especially children.
Advice from the founder
“I advise everyone to rethink the philosophy of their diet because we are what we eat. If we want our country to prosper, it must have a healthy nation. And a healthy nation starts with a healthy diet. It is better to buy a product that is 5-10% more expensive than to spend much more on medicines.
And to women who dream of starting their own business, I want to say: don’t be afraid to take on big projects. If you believe in your idea, everything is possible.”
* 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).