Denis and Katya Sheshins are the founders of the settlement «Zdravoe» that we have already written about before. Today we tell the story of this amazing family: how they decided to move to their own kin’s domain from St. Petersburg, found like-minded people, built their Space of Love, and created a berry farm.
By 2013, Katya and Denis had a successful life in one of the largest cities in Russia. Katya worked in a construction holding, Denis had his own business. The couple constantly traveled the world and were happy with what they had.
However, when Katya became pregnant, the family for the first time thought about what kind of future they would like to build for themselves and their children. As Denis says, «the city is not a natural habitat for a child,» so the Sheshin family decided to move to nature and build their own domain. Denis was ready to move abroad, to Europe or Asia, but after reading Ringing Cedars books, he realized that it was worth building the Space of Love in his native country.
The family moved to the south of Russia. Instead of building a house just for themselves, Denis and Katya decided to implement a large-scale project: to create a kin’s settlement. The first like-minded people found the Sheshins thanks to their YouTube channel, where the family talked about their own experience in building the domain. Now more than 50 families live in the settlement.
The arrangement of the domain took a long 4 years. During this time, two sons were born, and the youngest son was born three years ago. Katya and Denis are sure that they made the right decision: exactly as they wanted, their children grow up close to nature, enjoying fresh air all year round, away from big cities.
When the arrangement of the domain was completed, Denis and Katya faced the question of what to do next. They were looking for a business that is interesting and enjoyable for both of them, that generates income and allows them to benefit from a large plot. So they decided to grow strawberries. It took a long time to create a profitable business. Despite the fact that the Sheshin family visited many Russian and foreign farms in order to gain experience, they still made many mistakes. As Denis says, «We ruined more than one truckload of seedlings before we learned how to do everything right.» But this process turned out to be very interesting: now, when the Sheshins successfully grow and sell tons of strawberries a year, they want to cultivate other berries, such as blueberries.
Growing strawberries is a seasonal activity. The family collects the first crop in greenhouses in April-May, then the berry is transplanted into open ground. In summer, corn, tomatoes, watermelons, and melons are grown in greenhouses. The last time strawberries are harvested is in early autumn. In winter, when the business is not working, the family travels: Katya and Denis instilled a love for new discoveries and countries in their sons. Children are also happy to help mom and dad in their work.
The Sheshin family believes that moving to their own domain was the best decision in their lives. And at the same time, they say that it was a severe test: during such great changes, the family must come together and work hard. Katya and Denis are happy that they walked this path together.