Shorena Pataridze, the founder of the winery "Pataridze's Rachuli" talks about the difficulties related to wine production in Georgia and notes that access to finance should be increased in this sector.
Last year, the company obtained funding from the Rural Development Agency and built a new wine cellar with the received grant, although the founder notes that it is very difficult to develop a business without such projects.
"Business growth is necessary. When you are unable to develop and make the productivity go beyond 3000 bottles, you can neither increase the productivity nor increase the prices - that's how the business does not develop. If I had not obtained this financing, I would not have been able to supply the importers of 5 countries.
You cannot develop with banks' interest. Of course, there is government agro-loan, but in this case, there are some steps that the business needs to take, and it is at this stage that it needs to be promoted. If it weren't for Greta's funding of GEL 60,000, which was critically important for my business, I wouldn't even be able to produce 3,000 bottles. Foreign grants help us a lot, but there should be more state financing projects," says Shorena Pataridze.
