To learn more about our production, we invite you to read the interview article with Aiana Borisovna Khovalyg, founder of the Taiga 17 brand.

Taiga 17 was born from our family story. My father was an agronomist at the «Druzhba» collective farm in our native village of Cha‑Khöl, so from childhood my family and I grew up in the fields, surrounded by wild‑harvested plants. My mother was a medical professional, which instilled in us a lifelong habit of eating healthy, natural food. Later, when we moved to Kyzyl, we noticed how many chemicals were present in store‑bought products. That’s when we began making jams by hand and processing wild plants — first for our own family, and then gradually sharing them with others. In Cha‑Khöl, we personally gathered berries, nuts, wild onions (Tyva kulcha), rosehips, and many other wild plants. However, wild harvests are unpredictable — there’s no guarantee of a bountiful yield from one season to the next. That’s why we began accepting harvests from local residents, encouraging our people to continue the traditional practice of wild plant collection. This is how our family business started — gradually expanding from our immediate family to the wider community.

The idea behind our family business, Taiga 17, is rooted in simple yet fundamental values: natural products and the health of our people. In today’s world, there is an overabundance of chemicals, artificially created foods, GMOs, additives, and so on. As a result, natural, nature‑given products without additives are gradually becoming rarer. In major federal retail chains, natural products are even specially marked on packaging as “organic”, “eco”, or “natural”, which gives them a competitive edge in marketing.

Beyond mandatory bureaucratic procedures, there is also a positive (though still complex) bureaucracy that helps us grow. For instance, participating in the federal competition “100 Best Goods of Russia” required extensive documentation and application submission. The good news: this summer we successfully passed the regional stage and are now awaiting the federal stage results. Four other Tuvan brands also entered the competition. If all Tuvan producers advance to the federal stage, our products will bear the “100 Best Goods of Russia” quality mark — opening up even more opportunities for development and promotion.

The main challenge of our production is bureaucracy — specifically, documenting the quality of our products. In food manufacturing, we bear responsibility for people’s health, so everything must be tested and documented according to state standards and sanitary‑epidemiological regulations. Each product we make — for example, our jams — is tested at the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Republic of Tuva, followed by issuance of a Protocol confirming compliance with hygiene and sanitary requirements. Therefore, when our customers see a Taiga 17 product, they can be 100 % certain it is certified and has passed state laboratory tests.

State recognition of our products has significantly boosted public trust. Five years ago, people didn’t know us or fully trust our brand, but through consistent work we’ve demonstrated: the value of natural products; the importance of healthy eating. We also educate our valued customers and followers that by choosing Taiga 17, they: support local production; stimulate Tuva’s economy through a multiplier effect (creating jobs, paying local taxes, engaging local contractors, participating in city fairs, etc.). We’d like to take this opportunity to thank every customer who chooses us!

We learned about the Individual Programme for Socio‑Economic Development through the social media channels of the Government of the Republic of Tuva. We urgently needed support to scale up production: our team and local community were gathering more and more wild‑harvested plants, and growing numbers of people were asking for our jams, honey, and other products — but we couldn’t keep up with manual processing and cooking.
Thanks to substantial state support, we purchased professional equipment that transformed us into a full‑fledged workshop for processing taiga wild plants. By the way, feel free to visit us for a tour — we’d be happy to show you our production stages in detail. Before acquiring the equipment, we could manually produce about 100 litres of jam per day. Now, with automated machinery, we produce up to 700 litres daily. This allows us to: process perishable wild plants (like berries) in time; offer a wide range of natural products.

Additionally, we regularly conduct internal experiments to develop new flavours and production recipes. If an experiment is successful and we decide to launch a new product, we first submit samples to the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Republic of Tuva for laboratory testing — our customers’ health always comes first!

We primarily plan to expand our assortment by developing multiple product types from each wild plant. For example, we currently work with sea‑buckthorn, producing jam and mashed sea‑buckthorn puree. In the future, we aim to mass‑produce sea‑buckthorn mors (fruit drink) and incorporate sea‑buckthorn into our own tea blends.

The taiga ecosystem is characterized by its nobility, fertility, and richness. It provides innumerable benefits through its natural resources — hundreds of wild plant species grow autonomously in undisturbed environments, without human intervention. In recognition of this natural heritage, we operate under the «Taiga 17» brand, dedicated to respectfully utilizing and promoting these wild resources.

This adaptation is especially critical in today’s environment, where marketing and promotion primarily happen through social media. We believe that healthy competition drives collective progress, and challenges make us stronger — the key is to never give up.

The modern world is changing rapidly, and Tuva is seeing an increasing number of enterprising, talented individuals — which is excellent for our republic’s development. Therefore, adapting, continuously learning, and staying alert to market shifts isn’t just an option — it’s our obligation if we want to remain competitive.

The first major challenge we face is, once again, bureaucracy — I’ve described it in detail earlier. The second equally significant challenge is competition and marketing.

Within our republic, we aim to expand our partner networks and supply our products to local grocery stores in Kyzyl and surrounding districts. For example, our products are already available in the regional «Kukuruza» store chain, which actively promotes locally produced goods. Additionally, our products are sold at agricultural fairs on the right bank of Kyzyl and at the Southern Fair (on weekends). We regularly participate in district fairs and plan to expand our team to cover as many districts as possible.

We are already actively expanding our products into the Russian and international markets. Thanks to the dedicated support of the Export Center of the Tuva Entrepreneurship Support Fund and the Russian Export Center, we have obtained two «Made in Russia» declarations. These declarations provide Russian products with significant advantages in export promotion. Our plans include obtaining such declarations for all our remaining product lines.

Running such a large operation is impossible alone. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my family, relatives, friends, as well as our customers and followers — for your support and involvement!

In my daily work, I receive tremendous support from my husband, family, and our close‑knit team. My children also actively help with production in their free time from school — for instance, one daughter works as a salesperson at our point of sale, while the other delivers berries.

We are a family business, so everything relies entirely on the support, mutual assistance, and responsibility of our family and loved ones. Each person is equally important — everyone has their role, from wild plant collectors to salespeople and our SMM specialist.

Success means different things to different people, but for me, it’s about having discipline, systems, punctuality, and organization in business. Commitment to your craft and the ability to persevere — that’s already a significant entrepreneurial success.

Patience: Manufacturing business is about long‑term effort. You can’t chase quick results or immediate profits — it’s crucial to be patient, respect the passage of time, and trust the natural flow of events.
Wisdom and tact: Without wisdom, you can’t build effective relationships with employees, partners, or customers. That’s why it’s essential to remain tactful and wise in every situation.
Communication skills: People are all different, so it’s vital to find an approach to each individual and avoid being overly categorical. This skill is essential both in business and in life — and it comes with experience.
- Щедрость: получая поддержку народа, покупателей, подписчиков, мы также щедро делимся и своей поддержкой, регулярно занимаясь благотворительностью. Быть щедрым — это очень важное качество в жизни, только умея искренне делиться, отдавать, благодарить, ты можешь получать какие-то жизненные блага.
Self‑development: Only personal growth and a drive for improvement lead to competitiveness and business development. A business is judged by its owners — if they don’t make a habit of constant learning and trying new things, how can the business itself grow?

Don’t be afraid to take risks and stay focused on your goals.

What inspires me in my work are: client gratitude, a passion for innovation and experimentation, and a deep love for my native land. Our family has always been patriotic at heart.