Our Story
‘Svoya Pasika’ is a company that has been preserving and transferring traditions of sustainable beekeeping for four generations.
The history of our company has always been associated with sincerity and generosity towards our neighbors. We are also known for our industriousness and perseverance, endless enthusiasm, and passion for work. We respect others and love our homeland.
Our story began around 1880, after the abolition of serfdom on the territory of present-day Ukraine.
A young couple, Tykhon and Nataliia Hrebennyk, were inspired by the ideas of Petro Prokopovych’s beekeeping school, the first in Europe . They collected their first swarm of bees and started their first hive in the second half of the 19th century.
This was the beginning of the family beekeeping business.
The founder of the family apiary Tikhon Grebinnyk. 1918
Son Joseph with grandson Yuri. 1963
Tikhon's son Joseph in the apiary. 1963
Yuri, grandson of the founder of the apiary. 1966
Great-grandson Mikhail (in stroller) with his parents in the apiary. 1978
Tykhon and Nataliia had three sons and a daughter. In those days, an apiary was a addition to a diverse homestead. After 1920, they obtained a building permit from the village communityand decided to build a mill on the Kamyshyn River. About a year later, the mill produced its first high-quality flour.
The mill’s good reputation spread quickly and became the key to their success. Peasants from neighboring villages brought grain there every day. While they were waiting for the flour the hospitable hostess Nataliiatreated them to dinner. There was always honey for dessert.
Maintenance of the dam and ensuring that the mill ran property was time-consuming. Nevertheless, the enormous industriousness and love for their work made it possible to devote enough attention to the family’s favorite pastime and activity, beekeeping.
The mill, apiary, and a pond with mussels helped the family survive the tragic years of famine (Holodomor in Soviet Ukraine in 1932-1933). At the same time, they did their best to support their neighbors.
Unfortunately, there were people who were jealous of the hardworking family and their good reputation.
In the 1930s, the family was heavily affected by the collectivization process in the Soviet Union. The policy adopted by the Soviet government focused particular hostility on the wealthy peasants. The family mill was nationalized. The Hrebennyks were forcibly relocated to Central Asia.
Fortunately, the involuntary exile didn’t last too long. The elderly Tykhon and Nataliia together with their four children managed to return to their homeland, Ukraine.
The Soviet totalitarian and authoritarian regime prohibited and punished any personal entrepreneurial activity. Thus, the size of the apiary was significantly reduced after the family’s return from exile. The authorities allowed only the number of hives necessary for the needs of one family.
Despite the hardships and persecution, the family has preserved and transferred the accumulated knowledge and experience of practical beekeeping.
Older beekeepers help the younger generation during the honey harvest.
Mykhailo Hrebinnyk with his daughter
Mykhailo Hrebinnyk in the apiary
Mykhailo's wife Marina and daughter Sonya at the honey fair
After Tykhon Hrebennyk’s death, his eldest son Yosyp took over the family business.
Yosyp was an extraordinary person with many talents and a conscientious attitude to work. He was known as a jack of all trades and a successful innovator. The man was respected by all his fellow villagers and even became their moral authority.
In 1946, Yosyp’s engineering and inventive talents were duly recognized. He became the chief of mechanization of the Novoaleksandrovsky stud farm. In addition, he supervised the electrification of the village and contributed to the emergence of radio in the area.
However, such intense almost round-the-clock work schedule did not make Yosyp quit his favorite activity.
“These little workers inspire me. Their work is subject to a completely natural desire to create something special. I relax when I hear these restless buzzing sounds. They help me recover and recuperate. I always find peace while watching these hard-working honey producers. They are my source of inspiration,” Yosyp Hrebennyk said about his bees.
Thus, the storehouse of knowledge about beekeeping was not lost but constantly replenished. Later, Yosyp’s son Yurii was happy to inherit his father’s experience and skills.
The eventual collapse of Soviet totalitarianism in 1990 gave more freedom to private entrepreneurial activity.
The Hrebennyk family got the opportunity to do make beekeeping their primary business.
Now Yurii Hrebennyk, the cheerful 74-year-old man, runs ‘Svoya Pasika’ apiary with his son Mykhailo.
Mykhailo is a beekeeping optimist. He invests heavily in the sweet business of his ancestors.
Beekeeper Mykhailo Hrebennyk works hard to develop honey production while also preserving traditional practices.. This means that they must meet the definition of sincerity, warmth, and authenticity.
‘Svoya Pasika’ trademark was created thanks to Mykhailo’s enthusiasm. Honey lovers throughout Ukraine highly value the quality of our products.
‘Svoya Pasika’ as part of a larger history of beekeeping
1798 - Petro Prokopovych (1775-1850), scion of a famous Ukrainian Cossack family, decides to devote his life to beekeeping.
1814 - Prokopovych invents the first movable frame beehive. Today his design is used by millions of beekeepers around the world. He is also known as the founder of sustainable and commercial beekeeping.
1828 - He founds the first beekeeping school in Europe at his apiary. Beekeepers from all parts of the Russian Empire and abroad study advanced beekeeping methods there.
1839 - The apiary of Prokopovych becomes the largest and most advanced in the world, with10,000 bee colonies! Prokopovych becomes the official supplier of honey to the royal court of Nicholas I (Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855).
1880 - Tykhon and Nataliia Hrebennyk, disciples of Prokopovych’s heritage, catch their first swarm of bees and found their own apiary in Novoaleksandrovka village.
1920 - 1950 - The Hrebennyks make a significant contribution to the development of their native village. They build a mill, supply electricity to the area, and introduce the radio.
2000 - Tykhon and Nataliia’s great-grandson Mykhailo Hrebennyk decides to preserve the traditions of sustainable beekeeping and creates the brand ‘Svoya Pasika’.