Happy sheep produce happy milk. How the glory of French cheesemakers faded in Belarus

Greece, 2010. While on vacation on the Mediterranean coast, Belarusian Igor Markarov tried sheep’s milk cheese – a delicacy even by local standards. But the Greeks’ cheese taste surpassed the French and became recognized trendsetters in cheesemaking. Feta, graviera, kaseri, kefalotyri, anfotiro, manouri, mizithra, xinoturi, galotiri – the descendants of the Greeks know cheesemaking very well and do not hesitate to set trends. True, cow’s milk cheeses common in the Belarusian diet were eaten only by poor people in Greece; while wealthy locals preferred cheeses from sheep or goats. Having thoroughly studied the nuances of sheep’s cheese, appreciated its delicate taste and praised its beneficial health properties, our compatriot set the ambitious goal of launching a similar product in his homeland. The project was a success, and how. The businessman achieved his main goal – domestic sheep’s milk cheeses appeared on the shelves of large retail chains and were available to Belarusians. They say they make people happier, because they are made from the milk of happy sheep. Let’s check it out.

Business starts with prayer

Igor Markarov seems to have forbidden even his favorite animals to breathe, not letting them get close to these animals. Perhaps it would be a pity if the farmer did not immediately explain the reason for such a cautious attitude. It turns out that these 700 animals are unique in many ways. The farm of an entrepreneurial amateur farmer is perhaps the only gene pool enterprise in the CIS, and you may not find such disease-free and virus-free livestock in Europe. Experts may try to catch the lies of businessmen, they say, but what about the Russian experience? The fact is that purebred sheep and lambs from France were once imported in large quantities to the territory of our northeastern neighbor, however, either the climate was not suitable for the preferences of curly sheep, or the animals were not properly cared for, but the flock was overcome by infections. There is no need to talk about the purity of the gene pool, and about the quality, especially the benefits of goat milk.

Igor Feliksovich admitted: he took into account the mistakes of others and tried not to repeat them, taking a different path. In the Borisov region, he found and bought a dilapidated farm, which had been a center for processing and storing flax, and modernized it. Then it became a question of living in the renovated house. The enthusiastic farmer hesitated for a long time, but finally took a step.
For about two years, the entrepreneur carefully studied these breeds, visited Israel, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, learned from their experience in sheep breeding, and adopted the best breeds. After careful consideration, he finally chose the French Lacaune breed. The millstone began to turn.

“To be honest, I was scared at first, and I felt proud before I bought my first 18 sheep and three purebred rams,” the amateur shares. “Unlike the Russians, I started with small batches and gradually expanded the size of the flock. During my career in sheep breeding, I invested about $1 million in my flock. Today, we continue to develop natural selection and work on improving the breed, not crossing with other breeds, continuing the pure bloodline of the first French individuals I bought, and in terms of offspring, we are even ahead. If the French have an average of 131 lambs per 100 head, we raise the standard to 150-160, as long as the quality of the lambs does not decrease.”

Everything is calculated and rational – the Belarusian peasants apparently adopted the methods of the French. It is not without reason that they say that real gentlemen and ladies live in the provinces, where the most delicious cheese is made. Of course, we will not check this, but according to popular opinion, the most valuable heads do not reach Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille, but end up in the pantries of provincial residents. By the way, the original version of the famous French Roquefort cheese is made from sheep’s milk. The cost of a kilogram of cheese of a similar variety reaches $1000, and you will not see such a product in the stores – this cheese is produced on special orders and exported to Germany, the United States, the UAE and Japan. So why is the almost precious cheese made from the milk of sheep of the French Lacaune variety? Firstly, this milk has no taste. Secondly, it has no aftertaste, distinguished by a delicate creamy taste.

When animals are happy, owners are calm

Igor Makarov feeds his sheep only with special hay. In principle, his sheep farming methods are creative.

“In my opinion, only happy animals can produce happy milk. Doctors advise lactating mothers not to worry and only think about good things. Animals that are happy about life will do the same. Produce delicious milk rich in trace elements. This is my theory.” The enthusiastic farmer said with a smile.
Now, the caring attitude of the traders towards the herd has become very noticeable. Nevertheless, the animals are grateful for the care. The farmers milk about 10 tons of milk a month and produce up to 2 tons of cheese. Their selection is impressive. The company produces both fresh and mature cheeses with different flavoring additives. There are sour coffee, sour cherry and spicy garlic types with hot paprika, spicy truffles, pleasantly astringent walnuts, as well as pistachio, cashew, fenugreek cheeses – there is something for every taste. Natalia Melnikova, head of the Department of Trade and Public Catering Organization of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, said that the market competition is quite fierce, considering that there are more than 400 varieties of cheese plates in Belarus at the moment. This means that manufacturers are working harder and harder on quality, and the quality has improved by an order of magnitude.

There are many articles on the Internet about the benefits of feta cheese, pointing out that it is rich in amino acids and trace elements and helps improve gastric function. But we asked the experts to help find the truth.

A million useful properties and more

Elena Efimova, head of the Technical Laboratory of Whole Milk Products and Concentrates at the Meat and Dairy Industry Research Institute, associate professor of technical sciences, noted that cow’s milk is still the most used in Belarus, but in recent years its alternatives have become increasingly popular: goat’s milk and sheep’s milk.

Research by scientists shows that the milk of the Lakon goat bred by Igor Makarov is characterized by a high protein content of 4.5% to 8%, which is 1.5-2 times that of cow and goat milk.

“The content of almost all amino acids in sheep’s milk exceeds that in cow’s and goat’s milk,” emphasizes Elena Efimova. “Sheep’s milk contains significantly higher levels of amino acids such as valine, isoleucine, lysine, alanine, histidine and glycine. Acids play important roles in the human body, for example, valine is involved in the formation and storage of glycogen, in the synthesis of pantothenic acid, metabolized into muscle tissue, stimulates mental work and increases the formation of isoleucine. Hemoglobin, together with lysine, is essential for the production of immunoglobulins and antibodies in the metabolism of sugars and the breakdown of cholesterol, helps reduce the severity of allergies, promotes the healing of ulcers in the digestive organs, and supports the functioning of the auditory nerve. It is also necessary for the maintenance of immune function.”
According to experts, goat’s milk also contains the most important acids for the human body: caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid. Goat’s milk is also rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Although the main direction of goat’s milk processing in Belarus today is cheese, Elena Efimova added that goat’s milk is also promising in the production of fermented dairy products.

“I read that Cleopatra bathed in goat’s milk, and I started thinking.”

When Igor Makarov managed to increase the productivity of factory sheep from three to seven years, he began to think about where else goat milk could find a use. And then chose … soap. Yes, yes, the farmer immediately in the laboratory, and then in large quantities, began to boil dry soap and mix liquid soap based on goat milk.

“I knew people who suffered from severe allergies, and when I started raising sheep and realized that the product I was producing was very healthy, I came to the conclusion that I had to help them,” the farmer shared. “I once read about Cleopatra. Staying youthful, bathing in goat milk, having great spirits, she was a wise woman, her beauty was legendary, so, I looked at the market and saw that the French had figured out how to make soap. Well, what’s worse?”
The company has developed eight varieties of solid soap, each with a different color and scent. Still, they all have something in common: the soaps are 100% made from natural ingredients, and the oils are entirely of natural origin (cottonseed or avocado extract, for example). Once the company’s experimental team manages to improve the color and finalize the formula, they will produce up to 2,000 bars of soap per month.

“I have been working in the company for a long time and I admit that in the early days almost no one could have imagined that we would develop sheep farming to such a large scale and everyone thought that it would remain at this level. “Today we can’t even imagine what it was like before without goat’s milk. The milk is very delicious, nutritious and healthy for the whole family, and I don’t eat goat’s milk when I eat cheese. Anything can be a main course and satisfy my hunger. “

Well, the general direction is clear – enterprises will develop in many directions and will be judged by the creativity and dynamism of their management. And the state will support them. I spoke with Irina Yanel, director of the livestock breeding department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, about the overall situation of sheep farming in the country.

Meat and dairy sectors show the most promise

In our country, sheep are raised mainly on private farms. 63.4% of the total number of sheep in the republic are raised there. By the way, as of January 1, there were 75,700 animals in Belarus, of which only 7,300 were purebred breeders (for example, the French Lacaune, with which we are already familiar). Currently, there are 13 breeding farms in the republic, which raise purebred sheep of 11 breeds. One of the largest of them is the Selective and Genetic Center of the Vitebsk Breeding Enterprise, which has sheep of the French Isle, Suffolk and Romanovsk breeds. It is these breeds that account for the largest number of sheep in Belarusian breeding farms.

“The development of domestic sheep farming is primarily aimed at providing Belarusians with mutton and national food security,” Irina Yanel said. “Yes, we are not seeing results due to the large-scale sale of wool and sheepskins. The specifics of industrial development and the transition to cheaper synthetic materials, we are looking forward to, but at the same time we are talking about meeting the demand for mutton as a meal that has its own consumers, and in my opinion, the development of meat and dairy sheep farming.

Since experts tend to believe that the dairy and meat sectors of sheep farming are the most in-demand and profitable sectors in the future, this means that this market niche will be filled soon. The country, as well as Belarusian consumers, will only benefit from it.

Vera Vasilievskaya,
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