"Sad Meli" wine, Rachuli cuisine, beautiful views and kind-hearted hosts, - the Kereselidze family, living in the UK, offers high quality service to the guests of the gastro-tourist facility in the village of Sadmeli, Ambrolauri district.
In 2017, Beka Kereselidze, together with his wife - Tatia Bichashvili, decided to restore the old cellar and make pitcher wine with grapes grown in the vineyard on a mountain slope. Thus, began the story of Sad Meli Winery. Today, the couple lives in the UK, but manages to run their own business in Racha with the help of their frequent visits to their homeland and with the assistance of their parents.
Tatia Bichashvili, co-founder of the company, says that since the launch of the tourist facility, the family has invested USD 130,000 in business development with its own resources and employed 4 locals in the small business. As a result, Sad Meli Winery now produces 5,000 bottles of wine, some of which are exported to the UK.
“Last year, we exported 2 pallets, approximately 1,500 bottles for the first time in the UK. We choose the objects of sale in the foreign market with caution, because we want to sell the wine in places where there will be a great interest in its quality. That’s why Saperavi wine of Sad Meli Winery is mainly sold in 3 restaurants and several wine shops, where it is properly presented and offered to customers. In addition, we have launched a website sadmeli.com in the UK, where our wine is sold online”, - explains Tatia Bichashvili.
The owners of Sad Meli Winery are also interested in restoring the forgotten vine varieties. Last year, they identified old Georgian vine varieties Samachria and Mokaturi that were lost in their great-grandfather's vineyard. Due to the scarcity of grapes, they made Cepage and poured the first bottle of Samachria-Mokaturi.
As for the sale of wine in the local market, the owners of the small winery "Sad Meli" sell the wine through Facebook and Instagram channels.
According to Tatia Bichashvili, today the interest in their facility is quite high both locals and foreign visitors.
“Today, we have tourists from about 25 countries, including from Panama, Korea, Japan, Colombia, Canada, Israel, Egypt. The facility is very popular on Booking.com and social networks, especially during the summer-autumn season," said the founder of "Sad Meli Winery".
Today, "Sad Meli Winery" hosts guests in a family hotel with 4 rooms, but to meet the demand for the tourist facility in the local and international market, entrepreneurs plan to expand the business from the next year. Work on the expansion project has begun, and with an investment of approximately $ 200,000, the accommodation will be increased by 10 rooms. Tatia Bichashvili says that this will allow more locals to be employed and also to receive more guests.
