The FINANCIAL — JSC Gomi Spirit and Vodka Company, leading Georgian alcoholic drink producer, aims to make Turkey the bestselling export market for its products.
The FINANCIAL — JSC Gomi Spirit and Vodka Company, leading Georgian alcoholic drink producer, aims to make Turkey the bestselling export market for its products.
The company plans to increase sales by 15% in 2013 and start export to the Chinese market. The company is at present continuing cooperation with Israel on exporting products there. “Turkey is characterized by a modern lifestyle. People are loyal towards alcohol beverage. At the same time there are some stringencies on the way to exporters, nevertheless we managed to succeed because of our professionalism,” Zaza Tabagari, Head of Strategic Planning at JSC Gomi Spirit and Vodka Company, told The FINANCIAL.
As well as wheat vodka we produce the Georgian national drink Chacha (grape vodka). The company plans to start exporting Chacha to Ukraine and other foreign markets. “Chacha will be without competition abroad,” Tabagari believes.
“2012 was characterized by great change and excitement within Georgia. People have become more hopeful about the future. The political changes did not influence our business, however. The sales volume reached a consistent level, around 7.5 million bottles, like in previous years,” said Tabagari.
Every year the Gomi factory hosts tourists who can observe the production process and taste the products on site. “There are various directions in the tourism industry incorporating cultural, wine tours and others. Georgia has huge potential in developing various segments. We plan to become more active in the direction of offering vodka tours to customers for example,” Tabagari said.
Tabagari distinguished two directions in which the Georgian economy should develop in 2013. “World famous brands should enter the Georgian market and they should be focused on Georgia as a regional hub. The second task is to start creating brands that will become popular on foreign markets. These brands can be related to food, logistics, tourism, the creative industry. As for our company – our goal is to fit into this larger context, we are trying to increase awareness of the Gomi brand on a global scale,” he said.
Out of Gomi’s total volume of production, 95% is made up by the local market and the remaining 5% by export. Vodka Prestige is the most popular product with both Georgian and foreign consumers.
Gomi is currently exporting products to Turkey, Tajikistan and Ukraine.
Various factors determine the advantages of the company Gomi. “The most important thing is that we have been producing spirits and alcohol products of the highest quality. The production of Gomi is a 110 year tradition. The use of high-quality alcohol is essential in the production of vodka. We have implemented the equipment of modern production and Western culture of organizing work. We have our own distribution networks. We are in constant communication with our consumers and the public. We are focused on international markets, which forces us to establish high standards of quality,” explained Tabagari.
For New Year 2013 Gomi plans to offer some surprises to its customers. Details will be revealed at a later stage. In the meantime Tabagari shares his recipe for the popular cocktail Winter Horses that can be drunk on New Year’s Eve:
Mix: 45 ml Gomi Vodka Prestige, 15 ml Gomi cherry liquor, 60 ml pomegranate juice. Then simply blend ingredients in a shaker, pour in a glass and add ice.
Tabagari suggests that a little bit of alcohol is good for relaxation and for stimulating neural activity. “Alcohol has no negative effects if it is drunk in moderation. Remember though that we are talking about exclusively natural products. On the Georgian market you can still find numerous alcoholic beverages of originally very low quality. Gomi tries to counterbalance the negative image of alcohol by offering its customers exclusively high quality products,” said Tabagari.
Advantages
“Gomi is a spirits producing company, founded in 1903. Gomi has its own seeding. We use wheat for making spirits.”
Gomi Spirit and Vodka Company is the legal successor of Gomi Spirit and Vodka Distillery, which is located in the village of Gomi, in the Khashuri region. The factory started functioning in 1903 using raw materials: wheat, bread, maize and oats. During this period the production of the factory didn’t exceed 150-200 l in 24 hours.
After World War II, the Gomi factory started using sugar beet nectar/Melasa for producing spirits and the production volume of the factory increased up to 500 dal. In subsequent years it increased up to 1,500 dal per 24 hours. During this whole period, till 1997, the factory aimed at processing only sugar beet nectar/Melasa and Chacha raw spirits.
In 1994 by the decision of governmental organizations the Gomi factory appeared on the list of privatization units and on the factory base, Joint Stock Company “Rektifikati” was legally established.
In 1996 the factory was completely reconstructed and different kinds of construction-montage activities were carried out. The system of two, permanent action four block spirit production equipments (the equipment produces 1,800-2,000 dl in 24 hours), was completely changed – usage of new technologies facilitated the automatic operation of the equipment.
Considering the experience of the factories of Europe and CIS the new modern technology scheme was utilized, which enabled the Gomi factory to produce high quality wheat spirits.
During past years the Gomi Spirit and Vodka Company received several golden and silver medals in various international exhibitions.
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