Our Organic Farm and the Shop
The hacienda's kitchen is fed by its own organic farm. Guests are welcome to visit it, and a farm visit is included with a stay rather than sold as an extra, which is how we prefer to explain the food on your plate.
Beside the retreat, the shop sells house-made products from the same land: the kind of jars and bottles that villagers here have always made for themselves, made to be taken home.
Why we farm organically
The valley below Gabrovo is one of the most productive farming areas in North Macedonia, thanks to a warm climate and irrigation from Lake Vodocha. Working it without chemicals is harder and slower, and it is also the reason the produce tastes the way it does.
Vegetables and fruit come into the kitchen the same day they are picked, and menus shift with the season rather than against it. Guests who cook with us in a class see that loop close in front of them.
What the shop sells
The shop gathers the hacienda's house-made products, including the liqueurs and rakija poured at tastings. It is a small collection, deliberately, and everything in it comes from work done on or around the farm.
It is also the practical answer to the question every guest asks on the last day: what can we take home that is actually from here?
Visiting with children
Children are welcome at the farm, and for many young guests it is the first time they have seen the food chain in one piece, from the row of plants to the plate at dinner.
Combine the visit with the tractor ride through the villages, or with a cooking class the same evening, and the day becomes a single story about where food comes from.
Why visit
- Farm visits included for every guest
- Organic produce that reaches the kitchen the same day
- House-made products in the shop, including liqueurs
- Menus that follow the season, not a supplier list
- A working farm children can actually understand
Good to know
When to visit
Any time during your stay; ask at breakfast and we will walk you over when the light and the work suit.
Diets
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy requirements are catered for with notice, using the same farm produce.
Payment
Both EUR and MKD are accepted at the shop and throughout the retreat.
Frequently asked questions
Is the farm visit an extra cost?
Can we buy products to take home?
Does the kitchen cater for allergies?
More to explore
Stay at the hacienda
Walk the farm during your stay and let the shop solve your gifts on the last morning.