After Israel, “Ipkli Digomi” is now attracting interest from the Chinese market, the company’s marketing manager, Sopio Bediashvili, told bm.ge. The focus is on the company’s diabetic bread, “Diapur”, which was originally produced for charitable purposes and is now gaining commercial relevance abroad.
Bediashvili explained that production of this bread began about 10 years ago at the request of the Patriarch, due to rising diabetes cases in Georgia. “China is primarily a rice-consuming country, but it values preventive and healthy nutrition. We are the only Georgian company offering diabetic bread. A delegation tried our samples and responded positively,” she said. Exporting to China will require compliance with local standards, similar to previous preparations for Israel.
However, scaling production for China presents challenges. Supplying just one city requires significantly higher output, potentially 100 times more than current volumes. This might require new equipment and expanded workforce, a challenge given Georgia’s labor shortage. “Personnel costs are a key factor in product pricing, and we still have several operational issues to resolve before accurate predictions can be made,” Bediashvili noted.
Founded in Georgia, “Ipkli Digomi” currently operates three factories, in Digomi (serving Tbilisi), Vashlijvari (for exports), and Kutaisi (for Western Georgia), and is building a new facility near the Tbilisi airport highway. The company employs more than 600 people and has already established a successful export track record with Israel.
