ShvidiWine, a Georgian company that offers a wide range of materials, equipment and supplies for wine and spirit production, is getting ready for the grape harvest that will begin in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions of Kakheti, Imereti and Racha.
“We are introducing new offers in the pre-harvest period, in order for industry insiders to take into account what kind of inventory is available for them from the very beginning of wine production”, said Misha Meskhi, Managing Partner ofShvidiWine.
In August, a new branch of ShvidiWine will open in the western Georgian city of Kutaisi, which will serve wine producers in western Georgia.
“Soon, the Kakheti region branch will be reorganized and a distribution network will be set up, which will make our delivery service more mobile throughout Georgia. At the same time, we are adding new products to our portfolio to meet the new requirements and challenges of winemaking”, Meskhi said.
ShvidiWine has been created as a new company from Shvidi, which was a major importer and distributor of food ingredients to Georgia. Two years ago Shvidi upgraded its visual image, improved the brand’s logo and created a new company, ShvidiWine.
Shvidi has recently received the most influential business award in Georgia: the Golden Brand.
ShvidiWine has offered new products to the customers such as French oak barrels, bottle washing machine, wine bottle folding containers…how do you choose the new products that you are going to bring to Georgia?
Introducing innovative products is our principle. However, innovation cannot be successful unless it is based on hard work and accurate calculations.
As you know, the wine sector is growing and there is a demand for high-tech materials and equipment. We take the process of choosing new products with extreme caution – a product is studied, tested in the Georgian reality, and only then we decide to put them in our portfolio or not. Listing recently introduced products would probably take us too long – those interested can receive information on our website or on social media.
Which is the most in demand product ShvidiWine currently ofers?
It is hard to say which is the most in-demand product. Demand for products changes year after year.
We have about 3,000 products in our portfolio. Different segments of winemaking have different requirements.
For example, the demand in industrial enterprises is radically different from the interests that exist in amateur or ‘summer house’ winemaking. Those involved in qvevri wine-making have completely different requirements.
Demand for products differs following the seasons as well. During the grape harvest, grape harvesting equipment is in demand, while in summer, items related to wine processing and bottling become more demanded.
How have the sales of ShvidiWine increased and what is the company’s market share currently?
We have experienced a steady 15-17 per cent increase in sales over the last four years. I think the dynamics of small and stable growth for the sustainable development of the company lay a solid foundation for future success.
As for the market share, first, we should say that the competition is very high in our business. We have many subdivisions such as wine auxiliary materials, filtration systems, industrial equipment and more. We are more or less positioned with a different market share in each respective directions. On average, we occupy 30 per cent of the market.
How has the coronavirus pandemic affected ShvidiWine?
Of course, the pandemic had a negative impact on the company. The store and showroom did not function for about 50 days.
The change in the exchange rate is the major challenge when the cost of goods that are already less demanded increases. We found a golden mean during this period. Employees switched to online contacts and services as much as possible. We have not left any questions or requests without response. During this time, our company has been offering customer service remotely.
Most small and medium-sized entrepreneurs simply stopped their economic activities, thus reducing the demand for wine production equipment and materials. However, large enterprises continue to work and the export of Georgian wine continues only with small delays, therefore we did not stop working and actively used the delivery service.
Some amateur winemakers have become more and more interested in vineyards and wine, and there is a growing demand from them.
Once again, winemaking has always been an active field in Georgia, despite all the difficulties.
Did you face any obstacles with the supply of products due to the pandemic?
Suppliers certainly had problems, but none of our partners stopped working. On the contrary, they actively contacted us and informed us that they would continue to work and asked us to continue to send them orders.
There have been small logistical delays, mostly in terms of delivery time, however, we have good partners and have been quite mobile in these extraordinary conditions.
ShvidiWine won the Golden Brand award for the successful activities of 2019. Could you please point out the most important achievements of the year?
2019 was the most active and busy year in the history of our company.
The main thing is the work done before: we have created the concept, processed and gathered wine subcategories in one space.
With our help, hundreds of wineries are creating quality products and developing following our recommendations. It’s not just commodity trading. The company operates in a field in which we have real competence.
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