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A farmer from Odessa changed the sweet maize market

04 Feb, 2021
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A farmer from Odessa changed the sweet maize market

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In 2018, the Sadkorn company offered to Odessa consumers a completely new product: sweet corn cob in vacuum. Now it sells throughout Ukraine.


Today, more than half a thousand products are made from corn, using not only grains but also leaves, stems and cob wrappers. Corn is used to make animal feed, alcohol, paste, plastic, plaster, industrial filters and much more. Corn grains contain vitamins, trace elements, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, significantly superior in nutrition to beans and other legumes.

Stepan Sadovnik graduated from the Odessa Agriculture University, 2 years of work at the Odessa Selective Institute, but his life was forced to go to the commercial organization. Since 2003 he was engaged in the sale of vegetable crops.

Stepan Sadovnyk is a "corn encyclopedia", immediately characterizes the main varieties, can help identify advantages and disadvantages, advises novice corn growers who prefer to learn from other people's mistakes and plan to enter the corn market of Ukraine. Initially he was inspired by the taste of the product, the benefits of which he could appreciate back in the years when far from sweet varieties of corn were sold at the shops. It was more associated with livestock feed ...

Now, to enjoy the sweet corn, you do not need to wait for summer: the product from "Sadkorn" is ready for use at any time of the year.

I just believed in this product. It is also important that when it is grown, a minimum of chemistry is used, corn is processed on the leaf when the preparations can no longer penetrate directly into the cob. We sell corn under our trademark - "Pan Sadovnik", guaranteeing quality and safety, our goods are safely taken by both restaurants and supermarkets

Stepan Sadovnik
Photo: uhbdp.org

According to his words, "Sadkorn" grows corn on an area of ​​about 100 hectares. To saturate the market throughout the season, "Sadkorn" makes up to 30 crops and also gradually reaps the harvest. They continue to test seed all the hybrids of the major planting stock companies to select the optimum variety.

Out of 30-40 varieties I chose only 2-3, which are capable for producing homogeneous products of high quality: the cob has a pleasant appearance, exquisite taste, the consistency of the grain is such that it easily lags behind the core and does not stick to the teeth. In addition, selected maize varieties ripen at the same time, and its ears are at the same height in the plant.

Stepan Sadovnik

With regard to sales, initially "Sadkorn" grew corn for the fresh market and supermarkets. Then the idea came up to sell corn all year round - whole cobs were frozen and sold in winter. So that the corn did not lose its taste, it was subjected to shock freezing, and this is a serious expense. Stepan Sadovnik saw the evacuated corn for the first time at a fruit and vegetable exhibition abroad, and this idea was interesting, but it was not immediately sold.

Stepan Sadovnik. Photo:uhbdp.org/

If 3 years ago I was told that I would have expensive equipment that would allow me to make my own product, I would be skeptical.

UHBDP, a business catalyst funded by the Government of Canada and operating in Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts, was the impetus for Stepan Sadovnyk to implement the idea of ​​vacuuming corn. The project provided a grant for the purchase of equipment for vacuuming corn, which allowed farmers to enter new markets and use their knowledge as an agronomist in the fruit and vegetable business. With the help of the Project, Stepan Sadovnyk acquired the necessary equipment and continues to sell his products more profitably.

"Sadkorn" intends to supply about 50% of the corn produced to the fresh market, the other half to vacuum for sellig at the foreign marketsuch as Baltic countries, Belarus, Israel and Poland.

Stepan Sadovnik sees prospects in the production of other evacuated products and plans to expand the range. In the conditions of the modern rhythm of life, peeled vegetables that retain their freshness for a long time are of interest not only to HoReCa, but also to busy people who want to save time on cooking.


The Odessa Journal

The Odessa Journal

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