In the village of S. Seifullin in the Shet district, the FreshCheeseZharyk brand is developing a production of natural dairy and cheese products. The project was founded by Zhanar Kantarbayeva, a mother of many, who turned a small home business into a full-scale production that has earned customer trust and become an example of successful women’s entrepreneurship in rural Kazakhstan.
The business began in 2022, when Zhanar received a 400 MCI grant (QM – nearly 1.2 mln tenge) through the Employment Center. She used the funds to purchase equipment and launch the first batches of products.
“It was a huge opportunity for me. I wanted to make a quality product and grow my business,” the entrepreneur recalls.
Initially, cheese was made in a regular home kitchen. As demand increased, so did the responsibility to ensure product quality, prompting expansion.
Zhanar recalls the early challenges: the product range was small and milk supply unstable. The turning point came when she secured a reliable supplier. For nearly two years, she has been sourcing milk from a local farmer and also purchasing it from residents of nearby villages, supporting both quality control and rural incomes.
As demand continued to grow, the home format became insufficient. Last year, Zhanar opened a full-scale dairy production facility, increasing capacity, diversifying the product range, and establishing a professional technological process.
Today FreshCheeseZharyk produces several types of cheese along with butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, and ayran. Popular cheese varieties include caciotta, halloumi, scamorza, kashkaval, and stretched-curd cheeses such as burrata, mozzarella, stracciatella, and suluguni. Zhanar plans to launch aged cheeses with a maturation period of up to six months.
Recently, she received EAEU compliance certificates for butter and cottage cheese, and certification for cheese and fermented dairy products is currently underway.
Zhanar actively participates in state programs, creating jobs and supporting older employees. Last year, she applied to the Kumis zhas (“Silver Age”) initiative via Enbek.kz and signed a three-year contract with the Shet District Career Center. Today, two women of silver age work at the facility.
"It is important to give older people the opportunity to work and feel needed. They are responsible, careful and very hardworking. For me, the team is a great value,” she says.
She is also part of a short-term on-the-job training program, under which five people are learning dairy processing directly at the facility.
Zhanar frequently participates in regional exhibitions and social initiatives. Last year, she became a finalist in the "Bir auyl – bir onim" (“One Village – One Product”) project organized by the Council of Businesswomen with support from the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs.
"For me it is important to keep developing, to learn new things, and to meet other entrepreneurs. Every project gives experience, ideas and inspiration,” she shares.
Zhanar now plans to expand her production, build a larger facility, grow her team, and introduce Kazakhstani cheeses to larger markets.
“I want our cheeses to be known not only in Kazakhstan but also abroad. I dream of presenting our products at international exhibitions and surprising people with their quality,” says Zhanar Kantarbayeva.
Photos: courtesy of Zhanar Kantarbayeva
Source: Karagandy region akimat