BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
A new berry brand - "Margo" has appeared on the Georgian market this year, under which blackberries of the Loch Ness variety, grown in the Kakheti region (Eastern Georgia), are sold, Trend reports via EastFruit portal.
A modern 2.5 hectare Scottish blackberry garden was established by Kenkra LLC in Gurjaani municipality 3 years ago. The company is harvesting its first commercial crop this year.
“We invested 170,000 lari ($55,000) in the arrangement of the blackberry garden. Out of the total amount 20,000 - 25,000 lari ($7,000- $ 8,000) was co-financing within the framework of the state "Preferential agricultural credit". We also received great support from the USAID program, with the help of which we brought blackberry seedlings to Georgia. We made our own investment using a loan from TBC Bank. This year we got the first harvest, which was 2 tons, which is quite normal for the first year. Next year we expect the harvest to be 4-5 times larger,” said Nikoloz Gvaberidze, co-founder of Kenkra LLC.
According to Gvaberidze, sales of Margo blackberries will be carried out only in the local market.
“Loch Ness blackberries are relatively smaller in comparison with several other varieties, but tastier in terms of taste,” said Gvaberidze.
According to him, the company's plans for the future depend on the level of demand and the attitude of consumers.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356