Inside An Organic Snail Farm Near Kyiv

Mykhaylo Ravlychenko owns one of the biggest snail farms in Kyiv Oblast. Mykhaylo, whose last name means “snail” in Ukrainian, says opening his business was fate. With just 4 acres of land, he raises up to 50 tons of snails per year.

Snails grow in incubators and lay eggs even in winter. In May, he places them into the field for the summer. Mykhaylo says that raising snails is one of the cleanest businesses: “You don’t need any antibiotics or growth stimulators because we create a comfortable environment for snails in the field so they eat every day.It allows snails to grow 2-3 faster than in the wild”.

The soil on Mykhaylo’s farm has never been used for agriculture, thus, doesn’t have any chemicals. As the farm is just 20 kilometers away from Kyiv, Mykhaylo says it’s popular among tourists who are looking for day trip destinations.

The pandemic ruined his plans to export, so Mykhaylo had to sell his snails to local restaurants and other farmers. While the snail business in Ukraine is becoming more popular. Mykhaylo is happy that Ukrainians can try this delicacy without leaving the country.

Author: Anna Yakutenko

The material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the project Stories from Ukraine. The material reflects the position of the authors and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.