Georgian sweets manufacturer Sandomi, a newcomer to the Golden Brand Awards, is continuing its ‘Sweetest Tale’, as the brand’s motto reads, by introducing new packaged products with chocolate, nuts and other flavors to make the life of its customers a little sweeter.
Head of PR and Marketing Department of Sandomi TeklaTalakvadze told Golden Brand that so far, piecemeal sweets of Sandomi have been popular, but lately, the trend has changed and demand for packaged products has increased.
“We are planning to expand exactly this line of sweets. Overall, we produce about 120 sorts of products and among them are the new products of ‘Chokolino’ which is a chocolate crème with nuts. This year we are going to introduce more packaged products like snacks with nuts and expand the array of chocolate candies”, she said.
Sandomi has been operating on the Georgian market since 2011 with a factory in western Georgia. Due to the increased demand for Sandomi products, the company built a new, large scale, multi-profile sweets factory in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi in 2013.
Today, Sandomi sweets are available at about 9,000 stores throughout Georgia.
During these years, the company has gained the trust of customers, as well as a number of awards in the field of business, including Golden Brand.
The quality of Sandomi is certified with an ISO 22000 international certificate which the company received in 2018.
Talakvadze said that over the years Sandomi has been established as a reliable company offering international quality that is maximally focused on the interests of the customer.
“The most important thing for the business is to constantly work for further development, to be in search of new ideas and to have strong teamwork. We think these factors contribute to the success of Sandomi as a brand“, Talakvadze said.
Please tell us about the Sandomo production process – starting with the ingredients, ending with the visual side of its sweets?
Ingredients, recipes – everything is developed by leading specialists at the enterprise. Then several versions are developed. Until the product reaches the perfect texture, until it is refined both visually and in terms of taste, it is not brought to the market for sale.
Then our team assesses all this work, including the product branding and selects its name and visual side. We believe that teamwork plays an important role in creating the perfect product.
As for the production process itself, it is strictly monitored by the top specialists and managers, as well as the quality management service.
Who are the customers of Sandomi? Do you have corporate clients?
Due to the fact that sweets are quite actively consumed in Georgia, in this regard, we cannot complain of a lack of consumers.
We have numerous customers both in the regions and in different cities of Georgia and naturally in the capital.
Female customers between the ages of 18-65 are the biggest segment. However, if we take into account the recent activities on social media, we can say that the number of male customers has also increased.
Overall, the number of potential customers is growing every year and we also have corporate clients, to whom we offer quite good conditions.
Are Sandomi products available in every corner of Georgia?
Sandomi products are available in about 9,000 supermarkets and markets in Georgia.
Our distributors operate throughout Georgia and we do not have a shortage of products. We offer quality products at an affordable price, which is very important.
Despite the recent challenges, we have not raised the price of any of our products.
We often offer customers various promotions in both supermarkets and small markets. Most importantly, we are quite active on social media, as well as in various TV projects. As you know, such activities are very important for the promotion of the company.
We are also constantly involved in various social campaigns.
You’ve noted how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the larger economy. How has the pandemic affected Sandomi in particular?
We have overcome the challenges of the coronavirus by meeting all recommendations set by the government of Georgia, the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of Georgia.
Sandomi has not stopped even for a working day and continued its production process.
We disinfect our factory, office building as well as the distribution and transportation facilities.
The health condition of each employee is monitored daily and our staff is equipped with the recommended special protective equipment.
All employees of the company are still with us, all of our staff has been maintained, and what is also very important, we emphasize once again that despite the increase in the price of raw materials, we have not increased the prices of our products. In fact, we worked without profit in pandemic time and keep prices unchanged at the expense of existing supplies.
It is noteworthy that Sandomi was one of the first companies to be involved in the project of the Tbilisi City Hall and helped the elderly and 100 socially vulnerable beneficiaries with up to 10 products of Sandomi and some basic food supplies.
Also, Sandomi as a socially responsible company has donated 20,000 lari to the StopCov fund.
How competitive is the market today and how does Sandomi compete with other producers?
In general, we consider competition to be a healthy situation. We respect our competitors.
The competition is growing in our segment and it is important to have a rapid pace of development to meet all the challenges with dignity and beat the competition. We are responsible for the quality of Sandomi produced products.
Congratulations on winning the Golden Brand award. What led Sandomi to this success in your opinion?
It is likely the values of Sandomi as a brand and of its founder Merab Vasadze that have contributed to winning the Golden Brand award. Our main values are teamwork, constant renewal and development, high quality products and a focus on the customer.
