EU and Germany Aid Women in Georgia to Establish Rural Businesses
In the heart of Georgia's mountains, the silence grows louder as young workers pack their bags and head to the bustling city of Tbilisi, seeking opportunities that once eluded them in their rural hometowns. Limited work, harsh living conditions, and poor infrastructure have pushed them away, leaving behind a struggle to keep the local economies alive.
To tackle this issue, the EU4Business and German government, through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), have teamed up with a local NGO named Women-for-Women. The Catalysing Economic and Social Life (CESL) project, funded by the European Union, aims to create income sources for residents in four regions of Georgia - Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Guria, Imereti, and Kakheti. The goal is simple - to slow down the population's migration to Tbilisi and motivate people to move to the regions instead.
Two such motivated individuals are Irma Chaladze and her husband Zaza Giorgadze, who left the city of Rustavi, near the capital, to settle in the village of Erkneti in Chokhatauri municipality in Western Georgia's Guria region two years ago. Irma had always dreamed of something she could call her own, something that would offer her fulfillment and serve as a source of income.
Her entrepreneurial journey began by chance: one day, she stumbled upon a greenhouse for sale online. Instinctively, she knew it was just what she needed, and without a second thought, she decided to purchase it.
The process of assembling, maintaining, and running a greenhouse, however, proved to be far more challenging than the polished Instagram videos made it seem. To build her expertise, Irma submerged herself in learning, attending countless training sessions, informational meetings, and online courses.
With the support of the CESL project, she finally managed to launch her own greenhouse business, named Guruli Ezos Satburi. She now grows a variety of greens and supplies them to local vendors.
"Life in the village is tough," Chaladze says. "But when people support you and give you the tools to grow stronger, you don't give up. Strengthening rural economies is essential."
In the future, Chaladze hopes to expand her 50-square-meter greenhouse and develop agrotourism. Recently, she welcomed some foreign guests, taking them to local attractions and organizing hands-on workshops, teaching them how to make Khachapuri, harvest tea leaves, and work with felt. The experience sparked an idea: why not welcome guests every season?
"I think it will be beneficial for the entire village," she says. "The village feels empty now - I don't even have a neighbor to talk to. I hope to set an example and inspire others to leave the cities and return to rural life."
Some young people are already doing just that. In the village of Goraberezhouli, located in the Guria region, young couple Khatuna Beridze and Giorgi Tkesheliadze are making some of the region's finest organic wine.
Goraberezhouli, a small village nestled among rolling hills, is known for its lush greenery, fertile farmland, and traditional Georgian hospitality. And this is where Beridze and Tkesheliadze decided to open their winery called 'Baba's Marani'.
Tkesheliadze found his passion for winemaking during his childhood, inspired by watching his father cultivate vineyards. Though he was too young to fully understand the craft, his fascination with growing vines stayed with him.
"After my father-in-law passed away in 2018, we decided to continue his beloved work," Beridze remembers. She and her husband learned to grow seedlings and graft vines, becoming deeply involved in both viticulture and winemaking.
Their dedication was soon rewarded with success, and Beridze and her husband started producing organic wines. They also cultivated Goruli Mtsvane and Jani-Skhilatubani - two ancient Georgian grape varieties with lineages dating back centuries. Year after year, their harvest grew, and before long, they joined the Natural Wine Association - a collective of vine-growers and winemakers committed to organic, biodynamic viticulture and natural winemaking.
More produce meant more work for the family - work that they did by hand and that required lots of time and energy. To boost their capacity, and with support from the CESL project, the couple bought a full set of equipment for winemaking.
Beridze says their wines improved in quality with the introduction of new equipment. They now produce around 1,500 bottles a year, selling directly to clients, local markets, hotels, and online stores. Their main focus for the future is expanding into the EU, where Georgian wine is already well known and is in high demand among consumers.
Whether it's starting a greenhouse business or crafting organic wine, rural Georgians are finding ways to thrive in their home regions. Despite the ongoing challenges, communities like Irma Chaladze's and Khatuna Beridze's are setting examples and inspiring others to return to rural life. With support from initiatives like the CESL project, the future of rural Georgia looks promising.
- Irma Chaladze and her husband Zaza Giorgadze moved from Rustavi to the village of Erkneti in Guria region, inspired by the CESL project and motivated to slow down the migration to Tbilisi.
- Irma's greenhouse business, Guruli Ezos Satburi, supplies local vendors with a variety of greens grown in her 50-square-meter greenhouse, a venture that started after she purchased a greenhouse online.
- In the future, Irma plans to expand her greenhouse and develop agrotourism, offering visitors experiences like making Khachapuri, harvesting tea leaves, and working with felt.
- Khatuna Beridze and Giorgi Tkesheliadze, a young couple in Goraberezhouli, are producing organic wine, using ancient Georgian grape varieties like Goruli Mtsvane and Jani-Skhilatubani, with the aim of expanding into the EU market.
