Avtandil Gulikashvili the Mayor of Sagarejo Municipality, visited Vellino cellar which is also a tourist site. Vellino is located in Kakabeti village of Sagarejo municipality. The mayor got acquainted with the wine production process here.
Beka Jimseladze the founder and winemaker of the “Velino” said that the winery is expanding its cellar in the village of Kakabeti and will host customers very soon. He also talked about the exports and noted that recently the brand exported wine to thirteen countries which is a big achievement for the winery of such a rural region.
As per the founder “We have been exporting wine since 2019 to many countries including America, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Australia, and other countries, now we export wine to Norway as well”.
There are many challenges in the winemaking sector also. Beka Jimsheladze also explains that the main challenge is the awareness and natural conditions.
He further underlined that “The main challenge is environmental conditions because our winemaking process is totally an organic production. Moreover we’re dependent on weather conditions and in my opinion, it’s necessary to support small wineries and raise consumer awareness.”
It is to be specifically mentioned that “Velino” appeared on the Georgian market in the year of 2016 and offers seven types of wines, the brand was exported in 2019 and since then, it has become completely export-oriented. The company produces 20,000 bottles of wine and 80% of this production is exported”.
Mayor Avtandil Gulikashvili speaking specifically mentioned that the winer cellar is a multifunctional tourist complex with many interesting offers. It will make a unique impression on any visitor. But the mentioned project is a small one which in itself problem for the employment of residents and tourism development. I wish the founders success and all visitors a pleasant journey. Our goal is to help local businesses grow and employment which will ultimately change the overall economic background for the better. Therefore we need to improve our tourist infrastructure to make our tourist attractions and landmarks accessible to visitors”.
