Borko Čađenović raises 20 donkeys for milk and cheese on his family farm in Dragalj, near Risan in Montenegro. He told Montenegro Business that limited production means the farm supplies its donkey cheese to selected luxury restaurants.
Donkey cheese can cost more than 1,000 euros per kilogram on the global market, Čađenović said. He attributed the price to the properties of donkey milk and the demands of making the cheese. Producing one kilogram requires about 25 litres of fresh donkey milk.
The family also produces varenika. Čađenović said donkey milk attracts strong interest because its composition differs from that of other types of milk. Work on the farm continues throughout the year, in both winter and summer.
Čađenović started raising donkeys five years ago as his own business. He also sees the farm as a way to preserve livestock traditions and rural life as they change. Donkeys once helped families with daily work on village farms, he said, and he believes raising them can create opportunities in rural agriculture. For the family’s cheese business, the amount of milk available remains a constraint on production.
