About the project

Welcome to Kamchatka! None who visit our homeland will ever forget it. Kamchatka's trademark volcanoes are a unique phenomenon that you can't find anywhere else in Russia, or the whole world for that matter. We at Volcanic Varenye are particularly passionate about preserving our land's pristine landscape. Studying volcanoes, protecting nature and taking part in different conservation initiatives both on Kamchatka and throughout the Far East—all of this is, without exaggeration, the love of our lives. We approach what we do with great care and responsibility.

The wild plants of Kamchatka are one-of-a-kind. What's really important is that we do not just pick berries and turn them into varenye or jam. We make a point of making our volcanic varenye out of the purest organic ingredients that we collect without harming nature. A proper, respectful culture of berry-picking is our top priority.

Our inimitably beautiful Kamchatka, the realm of ice caps and fire-breathing volcanoes, of pulsing geysers and crystal-clear rivers teeming with fish, welcomes hundreds of thousand tourists from every corner in the world.

And we donate 10% of our sales profits to maintaining eco-friendly paths around Kamchatka's volcanoes: these paths help distribute the tourist influx in an environmentally conscious way, keeping the nature untouched.

Yes, Kamchatka has given us volcanoes and salmon. But that's not all. It has also given us delicious organic varenye made from local wild plants. We are confident that one taste of our varenye will motivate you to personally visit our land of volcanoes to gaze upon its mesmerising landscapes and savour more of the Kamchatka cuisine! We will be delighted to welcome you to our home, and we ardently hope that you will want to come marvel at our nature again and again.

Sergey Borisovich Samoylenko
volcano scientist, founder of the Volcanarium, co-founder of Volcanic Berries.

Each place on Earth has its own taste. The taste of Kamchatka is commonly associated with the bounty of the mighty ocean: fish and seafood. But if you ask around among the people who actually grew up here, they will recall plenty of other quintessential Kamchatka treats from their childhood. And of course, a lot of these treats are bound to be berries and preserves: the tender Kamchatka honeysuckle, the amazing rosehip that grows on the ocean shore, the thirst-quenching crowberries, the princely arctic raspberries and the tried and true vitamin troves: blueberries and lingonberries. Whenever I wanted to really impress my guests or get a little taste of home during my studies in the far-off Siberia, I would always take out a jar of Kamchatka rowan berry varenye. These rowan berries are so vibrant, so amber-like; they taste like almond, with not a hint of bitterness. There truly is nothing like them! And rowan berry varenye is a truly special preserve that people only make on Kamchatka. After becoming a volcano scientist and expert on Kamchatka and its wonders, I have always wanted to add a hint of this unique almond-like taste to my stories of my homeland. Now I can finally do that!

Volcanoes have shaped Earth's solid crust and saturated our planet with gases and water; and ultimately, they have given it life. With that titanic work done, the fiery underground spirits have adorned their craggy slopes with wonderful, delectable gifts for anyone who has ever shown them love. And we, the creators of the Volcanarium, are excited to share our volcanic varenye and our passion towards exploring life on Earth.

“