Ilze and Aivars Šefanovski run a small herd of dairy cows on ecologically valuable meadows in Piltene Parish, Ventspils Municipality, nestled amongst woodland and the bends of the Vēždūka River.  The environment here is clean and unspoilt – so unspoilt, in fact, that until 1991 there was no electricity in the farmstead! The farmers treat nature with respect – they farm using environmentally friendly methods in line with their convictions.

The Šefanovsku family have set up a home-based dairy processing business and produce a wide range of products – around 14 types of cheese and other dairy products – which they market under the brand name “Ilzes sieri”.

How did they end up making cheese? Ilze and Aivars admit that they’ve done all sorts of things during times of change, but they’ve always had cows at home.  Whatever they couldn’t eat themselves, they turned into cream, quark and butter, and took it to the market. As people grew increasingly fond of the cheeses Ilze made, about 10 years ago she began to take the business more seriously.

Fresh cheeses are made with various ingredients – chia seeds, fresh dill and parsley leaves, caraway seeds, hemp seeds, but cheese and butter with porcini mushrooms are particularly in demand, as are cheeses with caraway seeds and cumin.

Ilze likes to experiment, so a new product is added to the range from time to time. For example, marinated cheese. This has already become a favourite with customers, particularly at the Alsunga market. Her next plan is to start making ice cream.