Alla Royenko

Cheese maker, 60 years

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

First, we built a summer house here, then moved our parents and finally moved from Biysk. And then we decided to create a small tourist base: we built guest houses and started inviting people to rest. Silence is our base's slogan. We're taking back what the city took. Our guests come to us to sleep, relax and listen to the silence. Of course, the sounds of nature and the countryside too. Our village of Solonovka is more than 400 years old, and Kerzhak Old Believers live here. When we arrived, no one ran to meet us: the Old Believers are very private, they have been looking closely at people for a long time. At first, we brought food from the city, but it was difficult to find good milk. A friend advised us to buy a goat: we bought two, then another, and eventually we had our own goat farm. And then a cheese factory. Cheese is my favorite dish. When I studied how to care for goats on the Internet, I found out that people make homemade cheese from their milk. I decided to try it, and I liked it so much that I continued: I made the second, third and many more.

In 2010, we won the gold medal in rural tourism in Russia and flew to France as part of the delegation of Altai Krai. There we were taken to cheese factories, from where we brought a lot of sourdough, enzymes and forms. This was a real expansion of borders. Since then, I have been constantly going to study cheese making in different countries, and we have always sold more than 30 different types of cheese.

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Royenko

Alla

Cheese maker, 60 years

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

Alla Royenko

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

Cheese maker, 60 years

My husband and I are professional tourists and used to always go river rafting in spring. There is a training route along Peschanaya, and we liked this place thirty-five years ago. The apple blossom turned out to be the decisive factor — apple trees bloom incredibly here.

First, we built a summer house here, then moved our parents and finally moved from Biysk. And then we decided to create a small tourist base: we built guest houses and started inviting people to rest. Silence is our base's slogan. We're taking back what the city took. Our guests come to us to sleep, relax and listen to the silence. Of course, the sounds of nature and the countryside too. Our village of Solonovka is more than 400 years old, and Kerzhak Old Believers live here. When we arrived, no one ran to meet us: the Old Believers are very private, they have been looking closely at people for a long time. At first, we brought food from the city, but it was difficult to find good milk. A friend advised us to buy a goat: we bought two, then another, and eventually we had our own goat farm. And then a cheese factory. Cheese is my favorite dish. When I studied how to care for goats on the Internet, I found out that people make homemade cheese from their milk. I decided to try it, and I liked it so much that I continued: I made the second, third and many more.

In 2010, we won the gold medal in rural tourism in Russia and flew to France as part of the delegation of Altai Krai. There we were taken to cheese factories, from where we brought a lot of sourdough, enzymes and forms. This was a real expansion of borders. Since then, I have been constantly going to study cheese making in different countries, and we have always sold more than 30 different types of cheese.

Cheese making technologies do not differ much, but the quality of milk greatly influences the taste: this depends on the grass and climate. I think the most important thing for a cheesemaker is love for the product. If a person doesn't really love it, they won't be able to make good cheese. Patience is also important: sometimes you have to wait two or three years for it to mature. But it's worth it. You know, when such an amazing cheese melts in your mouth, you can feel how different flavors replace each other. Adult cheese is not a meal, it is a delight! I have a team of assistants. First of all, this is my family. We are always discussing new options and together we are thinking about ways to improve the taste. My daughter uses our cheese to make candies she made herself. They are in great demand and have become a separate part of our family business. My granddaughters, both older and younger, are growing up and helping me too. The older one plans to continue our work. This makes me happy — it would be sad if I ended our findings and developments.

My life has been a bright, busy and winding journey. Sometimes it was very difficult, but it was never boring. The main thing is not to be afraid of anything and continue to experiment.

“Silence is our base's slogan. We're taking back what the city took.”

Alla Royenko

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