Dairy Olimpics 2023

Aleksander Sayapin, farmer, founder of OOO Strelnya dairy farm. First registered participant of the 2023 Dairy Olympics!

Alexander, this is not your first time visiting the event. The upcoming 2023 Dairy Olympics will be what number for you? 
- Never counted, I have been to the Dairy Olympics many times. By now it has become, I’d say, a necessity.

What were your highlights of the Dairy Olympics we did this year in Kazakhstan?
— This year Dairy Olympics has turned out to be unique for us in light of the political and related shifts. We got to see what Kazakhstan is like in terms of dairy production, we got to know more of the country itself and the problems that farmers and industry are struggling with now. A true insight was that the region has great potential for business development! And that insight may bring about some kind of further interaction.

What expectations do you have from the 2023 Dairy Olympics? What does this event offer you as a producer?
— First and foremost it is communication. We are able to keep a fair track of the industry data online, especially that we get all the updates on The DairyNews website. Whereas the Olympics provides informal, non-public, vibrant communication with other industry participants from different regions and countries. Every time they ask me what I enjoy in the dairy industry I say it’s the people who work in it. They are special people, 24h a day/365 days a year in production, non-stop, dealing with a not-so-easy product, short shelf life and certainly not of high margin - there is more to it than simply a financial drive!

Communication is what the Dairy Olympics provides for us. There are not so many events out there that get everyone together and this is so valuable!