ARIEL GATUSHKIN, General Manager of Synevo Georgia
BusinessGolden Brand

Ariel Gatushkin, Synevo Georgia General Manager: “Synevo Celebrates Decade of Outstanding Journey With Spectacular Performance in Georgia”

From one small hospital laboratory to a leading diagnostic service company, now with the most prestigious local business award, the Golden Brand  —  this is the story of Swedish laboratory network Synevo, which celebrated ten years of an “outstanding journey with spectacular performance”, according to Ariel Gatushkin, General Manager of Synevo Georgia.

LINA TOPURIA, General Manager of Egis Pharmaceuticals Representation in Georgia
BusinessGolden Brand

Suprastin Becomes Georgian Consumers’ Favorite Allergy Remedy 

Suprastin, used for treating allergic reactions, and produced and distributed in Georgia by Hungarian company Egis Pharmaceuticals PLC, has won the Georgian business award Golden Brand.

SHOTA METREVELI, Director of the Company
BusinessGolden Brand

Strong Wash to Open New Branches in Kutaisi and Batumi

Strong Wash, a Georgian company involved in the production and distribution of auto chemicals, installation of car washes, and sale of high-pressure washing machines, will expand with two new branches in the cities of Kutaisi and Batumi.

IURI TKEBUCHAVA, General Director of Solari
BusinessGolden Brand

Solari Expanding Portfolio WIth Almonds, Peanut Snacks

To meet the brand’s growing demand, Georgian sunflower seed company Solari is expanding its product portfolio with packaged almonds and peanuts for snacking for the local and export markets.

LASHA BABUADZE, Founder of Everest 2010
BusinessGolden Brand

Georgian Customers Name Austrian Schirnhofer as Favorite Meat Product Brand in Golden Brand Survey

For its traditional Austrian quality, a variety of choice and the best taste, Austrian meat product brand Schirnhofer has firmly established itself on the Georgian market.

NIKOLOZ BENIAIDZE, Founder of Shiraki
BusinessGolden Brand

Golden Brand Winner Shiraqi to Expand Portfolio with New Dairy Products

Shiraqi, a Georgian producer of dairy products, is planning to expand its line with new products such as yogurt, matsoni (strained sour milk similar to yogurt), dambalkhacho (made from buttermilk cottage cheese), aged cheese and other varieties of milk products.

Founder of Shiraqi Nikoloz Beniaidze told us that the company has a “great desire” to create a Cheese Museum in the country, “where master classes on cheese and tasting events will be held,” he said.

Currently the company produces fifteen raw milk products ⁠— sulguni, smoked sulguni, Imeruli cheese Extra, Georgian Cheese, twisted cheese, smoked twisted cheese, sulguni sticks, smoked sulguni sticks, matsoni, cottage cheese, ghee, butter Glekhura.

Dairy products under the brand of Shiraqi are sold not only locally but on export markets as well. Today, Shiraqi cheese and sour cream is sold in Singapore, Dubai, France, the USA, and Bahrain.

Beniaidze said that Shiraqi is working to expand its exports, with Canada and Israel showing interest in Georgian produce.

The company processes up to ten tons of raw milk per day, of which 15-20% is exported. Shiraqi exports about forty tons of products per year.

Q. Shiraqi won the Golden Brand in the category “favorite cheese producer”. What does this recognition mean to the company?

A. The whole Shiraqi team works hard every day to create a complete cycle “from field to table” to deliver the highest quality raw milk products to the consumer. For us, for the whole team, this award is appreciation and recognition of our work.

It is more gratifying to see that the company’s hard work done last year is appreciated this year. And I want to tell you that 2022 was quite challenging for Shiraqi. Due to a shortage of raw milk, it was difficult for us to meet the demand for raw milk products for some time, but we successfully overcame this obstacle and even became a recognized producer company this year.

Q. How has Shiraqi been developing on the Georgian market over the years?

A. Founded in 2006, Shiraqi was first involved in milk collection and over the years has grown into a large producer of dairy products. This success was based on the experience and knowledge of my and our company’s employees in various training programs that we did in Europe and America. Successful and growing farms I saw abroad had a great impact on my plans. In 2013, we laid the foundation on the Shiraqi farm.

Q. Please introduce us to the whole production cycle of Shiraqi, as you said ⁠— “from field to table”.

A. We produce Shiraqi raw milk products with 100% local raw milk.

We have our own dairy farm of high-yielding Holstein cattle, who are fed mainly with food grown in our farm. We also collect milk and import raw milk from other high-yielding dairy farms.

We have raw milk collection points in Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions.

Q. Golden Brand survey showed Shiraqi is Georgian customers’ favorite cheese producing company, but what are the best-selling products according to sales data?

A. Imeruli cheese Extra and sulguni, Georgian Cheese, smoked sulguni, matsoni, cottage cheese are among the top-selling products of Shiraqi.

Speaking of sulguni, I want to mention that Shiraqi sulguni was the winner at the blind tasting of EBIARD/FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Georgia patented sulguni cheese according to Shiraqi’s internal standard of sulguni-making.

Overall, due to the increase in the price of raw milk, the prices of raw milk products were high last year, but in spite of this our sales were stable.

HELEN KEANE, General Manager of Shangri La Tbilisi
BusinessGolden Brand

Shangri La Casino to Open in Georgia’s Black Sea Resort City of Batumi

Georgia’s most stylish and top-service casino, Shanrgi La, is continuing to develop on the Georgian market with the opening of a new branch in the country’s Black Sea resort city of Batumi.

AMIKO KALANDIA, Marketing Consultant at Sadili
BusinessGolden Brand

Sadili Exports Canned Georgian Traditional Dishes to Azerbaijan

Georgian brand Sadili, producing  canned and ready-made Georgian food, is introducing Georgian flavors to foreign markets.

ROLAND JAVAKHIA, General Director of Roniko
BusinessGolden Brand

Optical Company Roniko Expands in Georgia, Updates Collection With Luxury Brands

Georgia’s leading optical company Roniko is expanding on the local market with about four new branches and offering luxury eyewear from such global brands as Ermenegildo Zegna, MaxMara, Barton Perreira and others.

NICK LOMIDZE, Commercial Director of the Company
BusinessGolden Brand

RERA Expands Production Capacity to Meet Growing Demand for Its Semi-Finished Goods

Georgian brand RERA, offering semi-finished frozen foods and smoked fish, and a member of G&A GROUP, is planning to expand in the country due to meet increased demand.