Georgia`s Natural, a major Georgian producer of organic fruit , vegetable juices and canned food, plans to launch a new line by the end of spring – organic kombucha made from berries and root vegetables.

Georgia`s Natural is a subsidiary of the diversified Aromaproduct LLC, focused on the production of premium quality organic fruit and vegetable products. Products of the Georgia`s Natural brand are mainly exported and presented in the markets of 40 countries around the world. At the GulFood 2021 exhibition held in February in the UAE, the company became a finalist of the Gulfood Innovation Awards 2021 in the category “Most Innovative Drink”. EastFruit spoke with Georgia`s Natural representative Yana Polevanskaya about the company’s activities, trends and demand for organic products.

– Tell us about Georgia`s Natural kombucha – how will it be manufactured and for which markets will it be oriented ?

– Our organic kombucha will include three types of drink at this stage – produced from rose hips, from a mix of rose hips and several types of berries, as well as turmeric and ginger. It will be healthy, full of vitamins and made in compliance with all organic production standards. Kombucha will be brewed with rosehip infusion, which is undergoing a fermentation stage. We plan to introduce it to all the markets where our products are already present.

– Name at least a few countries where the company’s products are exported to …

– I can list them all. These are Japan, China, South Korea, Mongolia, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Fiji Islands, countries of South Africa and South America.

– What is Georgia’s Natural range of products today?

– All Georgia`s Natural products are organic and certified according to international standards. These are, in particular, organic cold-pressed juices from vegetables, fruit, berries, purees and sauces from fruits, berries and vegetables, drinks such as “Sider” – made from the juice of apples or pears or several types of greens, with the addition of apple cider vinegar. A few months ago, berries and vegetables frozen with the IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) technology were added. We use wild strawberries, blueberries, currants, raspberries, plums, blackberries, mulberries, grapes, apples, pears, apricots, pomegranates, melons, watermelons, pumpkins, beets, carrots, red cabbage, etc. as raw products. In addition, we sell fresh organic fruit and vegetables – seasonally, in retail packages.

– Please tell us more about Georgia`s Natural – the history of its creation and current production …

– The history of the company began with Aromaproduct LLC, a diversified company that has been working since 1996. At the end of the 90s, the founders of Aromaproduct, based on the results of market research, concluded that the international market gives special preference to natural and organic products, and then the company began developing in this direction. In 2006 it founded Georgia`s Natural LLC, which produces exclusively organic products.

Today Georgia`s Natural is an export-oriented group that includes: operating organic farms, harvesting wild crops, controlling the quality of organic raw materials, processing them and creating premium quality products. Currently, Georgia`s Natural owns organic farms with a total area of ​​300 hectares in the Kvareli region (Kakheti region, Eastern Georgia). There is a high-tech enterprise for the processing of fruit and vegetable raw materials in the same region. The juice bottling and canning process is carried out at our second facility located in Tbilisi.

All stages of production, including growing and harvesting of wild crops, raw products processing, storing and releasing final products, comply with organic production standards: EU/NON-EU (organic standard for the European market), NOP/USDA (organic standard for the US market), JAS (organic standard for the Japanese market), KOC (organic standard for the South Korean market). Compliance with the standards is monitored by the international certification body Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH (Germany). The company also holds FSSC 22000, Kosher/OU, Halal/IFRC ASIA certificates.

The company initially set a goal to ensure that the Georgia`s Natural becomes an internationally known brand of premium quality organic products, and Georgia is perceived as a country with good potential for organic farming, harvesting of wild crops and organic production.

– What products of the company are in the greatest demand on the international market?

– Today the greatest demand is for organic pomegranate, cherry and dogwood juices. Fruit and vegetable cocktails produced following the company’s signature recipes are also popular.

– Which drink was awarded at the Gulfood Innovation Awards 2021?

– These are our signature cocktails. Fruit and vegetables contained are selected according to ì flavor combinations and color. We have cocktails in yellow (pumpkin, mango, banana), pink, green, etc.

– Where can Georgia`s Natural products be bought in Georgia?

– They are presented in our brand stores in Tbilisi and Batumi. In addition, last year we have started developing the concept of “organic bar”. These are special stands on the territory of hypermarkets and other large objects, where about 80 types of our organic juices can be tasted, both in bottles and glasses (there are conical flasks for bottling juices at the bar), optionally with ice. Other products of the company can be bought in such bars. There are seven of our “organic bars” in operation now.

– Have there been any problems in the company’s work last year against the backdrop of the Covid -19 pandemic, and what are your plans for this year?

– 2020 was a rather difficult year for Georgia`s Natural, as well as for other companies. Logistics issues were especially problematic, but our company worked in an emergency mode and practically managed to timely fulfill orders to foreign partners. Over the past period of the pandemic, the demand for organic products in the world has increased, I think, because the population has begun to actively follow a healthy lifestyle, preferring heathier products. In our opinion, this trend will continue in 2021. Accordingly, we plan to continue developing our organic farming, expanding the range of products and sales area. In particular, this year we want to start introducing the concept of an “organic bar” in various countries where we are widely represented. In addition to drinks in standard containers (glass bottles of 200, 300, 750 and 1000 ml), we also plan to launch the production of fruit and vegetable shots – juices in small bottles “for one sip”. Our plans for the near future also include a start of the production of organic dried fruits and organic dried fruits frozen with the IQF technology.

Сообщение Georgia`s Natural will introduce organic rosehip and ginger kombucha появились сначала на EastFruit.

14 Georgian companies took part in GulFood 2021, the international exhibition of food, beverage, and industry HoReCa, which was held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on February 21-25, 2021. The participation of Georgian companies at the exhibition was co-financed by the Produce in Georgia Agency and the USAID Agricultural Program in Georgia. The exhibition presented Georgian nuts, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, natural juices, dried fruits, honey, bay leaves and tea.

Roman Kezharashvili, the export manager of the Produce in Georgia Agency, noted on the air of the Business-Partner program that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a difficult year in terms of exhibitions in the food and beverage industry. Nearly all exhibitions were postponed or cancelled and the online space for such a sector was much less efficient. Thus, the GulFood 2021 exhibition was practically the first event to be held in person after a long hiatus.

Mr Kezharashvili stressed that GulFood 2021 is one of the most authoritative and demanded international exhibitions in the food sector, which before the start of the pandemic received about 100,000 visitors annually. “Although the total number of visitors was 20-30% less this year according to our observations, almost all of them were potential buyers and there were practically no tourists.”

“It is too early to talk about concrete results (volumes, etc.) for Georgian producers. Yet, our companies were actively negotiating and I am sure they have new opportunities,” he said.

Read also: Blueberry imports to Russia continue to grow at record rates

This is not the first time that the Georgian company Agritouch has become one of the participants at GulFood. The founder of the company, Ekaterina Vepkhvadze, told EastFruit that she was satisfied with the outcome noting that the exhibition provided a good opportunity to get acquainted with sector participants from various countries, establish contacts, and conclude preliminary agreements.

“Our company presented several types of products at the exhibition and the main one was blueberries. The popularity of this berry all over the world is very high, but Georgia as a producer is still little known so we tried to give the maximum amount of information,” she said.

Ekaterina Vepkhvadze noted that the interest in agricultural products at the exhibition was quite high. She thanked the Produce in Georgia Agency and the USAID Agricultural Program for financial support for the participation of Georgian companies in the exhibition.

Mamuka Beriashvili, a representative from the company NutsGe which produces natural and processed hazelnuts, told EastFruit that at GulFood, despite the relatively limited number of countries represented at the exhibition this year the event was very significant. The main participants were countries from the Middle East, South America, and the post-Soviet space. There were practically no participants from EU countries, the United States, and China.

“It was definitely worth going to this exhibition since we gathered a lot of contacts. The visitors were mostly professionals who knew what they wanted,” said Mamuka Beriashvili.

Сообщение Georgian producers strengthen their presence in the Gulf market появились сначала на EastFruit.

Fruit juice exports from Turkey hit a record $322.8 million in 2020, reported Anadolu agency with reference to Aegean Exporters Union data.

Export of fruit juices in 2019 amounted to $259,884,000, while in 2020, this figure increased by 24% and reached a record $322,793,000.

The leading importers of fruit juices from Turkey were the United States ($86.6 million) and the Netherlands ($32.1 million).

In 2020, South Korea showed the most considerable fruit juice imports growth from Turkey – by 133% and up to $31.5 million.

The most popular products are apple, grape, pineapple juices, and their concentrates.

Export of fruit juices in the last ten years:

Сообщение Turkey increased exports of fruit juices to South Korea by 133% появились сначала на EastFruit.

Subhi Vatan LLC (ООО «Субхи ватан» in Russian) is a small but well-known company in Isfara, Tajikistan. The company produces dried and canned fruits and vegetables. In 2020, its production increased by more than 500,000 somonis ($44,200) compared to 2019 and the total volume of its products manufactured amounted to more than 3.1 million somonis ($274,000).

More than half of its products were exported abroad. Thus, 64.4 tons of dried fruits were shipped for a total of $32,900 to Turkey, 11 tons for $2,500 to Kazakhstan, and Belarus bought 40 tons of dried fruits from Subhi Vatan for $44,800.

Last year, the company significantly expanded its product range. Various juices, jams, and baby foods made from apricots, apples, pears, and plums, which were supplemented with cream bases such as honey, walnuts and honey, lemon with ginger, and pickled hot peppers.

Read also: Tajik company Subhi Watan increased exports to the United States in 2020 

According to the company’s technologist Irina Arutina, the green walnut jam is in great demand. Armenian colleagues shared the recipe and technology for its preparation with Abdumannon Ermatov, the director of Subhi Vatan, when he visited Armenia as part of a delegation from the Sughd region in 2019.

Representatives of Subhi Vatan often take part in international exhibitions and fairs of fruit and vegetable products. In 2020, they participated in online fairs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their excellent product quality and contacts from these fairs allowed the company to provide products in both domestic and foreign markets in 2020. Under the Shirin Premium brand, the company sold 163.7 tons of various canned products in the amount of $43,300 to Kazakhstan. A total of 21.5 tons of various canned fruits in the amount of $6,700 were delivered to Ukraine and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan purchased 65.6 tons of canned products from Subhi Vatan for a total of $16,600. Also, exports of various juices increased due to the fact that they are bottled in modern glass bottles with a capacity of 750 grams.

Irina Aryutina also announced that Subhi Vatan purchases various fruit and vegetable products for processing on a contractual basis from farms all across Tajikistan. Last year, consignments of dried mulberries, apples, and apricot kernels were purchased in southern Tajikistan and in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).

Currently, Subhi Vatan provides permanent jobs and decent wages to more than 60 people.

Сообщение Tajik fruit and vegetable processor expanded product range and increased exports появились сначала на EastFruit.