Dirol Launches “Get A Taste Of It” Campaign in Georgia, Preparing “Great Initiatives” for 2023

Global chewing gum brand Dirol, owned by the multinational food and beverage company Mondelēz International, based in the United States, continues to develop its product line in Georgia.
Recently Dirol in Georgia launched a new campaign “Get A Taste of It”. When there are so many interesting things around us nowadays, people could easily be distracted. It can be difficult to focus. Dirol offered the bright and long-lasting taste which makes your favorite things even more pleasant without any distraction. The idea is that with Dirol you plunge headlong into everything you like, and nothing can stop you.
“Now we are preparing great initiatives for this year – for example, we will be participating in big modern hype events,” Nukri Vacheishvili, Key Account Manager for Mondelēz Georgia, told Golden Brand.
Dirol once again won the country’s most influential business award, the Golden Brand, reflecting its place as Georgians’ favorite chewing gum.
Q. Georgian customers have named Dirol their favorite chewing gum again this year. How did Dirol get this recognition, in your opinion?
A. Dirol is very up to date ⁠— trendy, tasty and relevant to our target audience.
Last year we organized a new equity campaign “Live Fresh”, launched two new products and the Dirol Music Mix special SKU in Georgia – all of this drove the growth of the brand.
Q. Golden Brand is given to brands following successful operations of the previous year. Please summarize the year 2022.
A. It was an extremely challenging year for all of us, but we managed to keep close to our consumers by targeting “zoomers, who chew gum to refresh their mind and maintain focus on daily important activities.
During and after the pandemic the chewing habit decreased, but last year we returned to growth, indeed double-digit growth.
Q. What are the recent developments of Dirol as a brand? Please share the brand's progress on the Georgian market.
A. In recent years we have been staying relevant to our consumers by offering juicy new original flavors.
Q. Please tell us about the future plans of Dirol in Georgia. Do you plan to introduce new products to Georgia and which would those be?
A. We cannot reveal all the details, but we are going to take part in big events for young people and have a full pipeline of innovations for this year.
Q. What share does Georgia have in the countries where Dirol is present?
A. The Georgian market is one the most important for Mondelēz. We have been developing our brand here for a long time, but there is still enough room for experiments and new achievements.
We see that buying Dirol has become a stable, everyday habit of Georgian consumers.
Q. Please tell us what makes Dirol unique and why Georgian customers love it.
A. Dirol is unique due to relevant positioning among young people – our consumers trust our brand and recognize it as part of their daily lives.
We also have a strong portfolio of fruit flavors preferred by “zoomers” that drives sales.
Q. What are some investments Mondelēz makes in the Georgian market to promote Dirol?
A. We have been significantly increasing investments to media, in-store and consumer promo in recent years to gain even more ambassadors in the Georgian market.

Ramses Yachts Brings Italy’s Luxurious Yacht Brand Cranchi, Opens New Office in Batumi

Ramses Yachts, the exclusive representative and partner of the world’s luxurious yacht brands in Georgia, has updated its fleet with Italian yacht builder Cranchi, bringing 150 years of boatbuilding experience from the shores of Lake Como to Black Sea coast.

“We started 2023 with great news ⁠— Ramses Yachts became the official dealer of Cranchi Yachts, which stimulated great interest among customers and so increased sales of our company,” Giorgi Chikvaidze, the Founder and Director of Ramses Yachts, said.

“Unlike any other companies’ models, Cranchi's line is characterized by true Italian style, super modern technology and the highest quality. Most importantly, yachts are produced up to nine and 25 meters, the most important dimensions in yacht production, and for a market like Georgia, yachts of this size are very important,” Director of the company, Irakli Papiashvili continued.

In addition, Ramses Yachts is opening a new office in Batumi, “without a rival in our region”, Chikvaidze said.

“It will be a typical European office, with scale models of all yachts on sale. All this will be located in a meeting room with the latest equipment, which is the European standard for the yachting business,” he added.

Papiashvili also shared with Golden Brand plans to launch the first yacht management academy in Georgia.

“The academy will be opened in September and will offer a full course of yacht management toward certification, opening the door to employment not only in Georgia, but in Europe,” Papiashvili said.

Talking about the increased sales figures, Chikvaidze mentioned that all new clients are Georgian.

“This fact is also very important for us, as it shows that yachting culture in Georgia is developing day by day,” he said.

Chikvaidze said that the development of the yacht industry in Georgia was directly proportional to Ramses Yachts, “as we are the first to introduce a modern, European yacht destination in Georgia.”

For its contribution to the development of Georgia’s yacht industry, Ramses Yachts, which has been operating on the market since 2017, has received its second Golden Brand award.
Q. Is the Georgia office involved in the sale of used yachts and how in-demand is this?
Papiashvili: Of course we sell second-hand yachts; moreover, the company, which we already officially represent in Georgia, and which has been creating history in the yacht industry for 150 years, offers us a different format for the sale of second-hand yachts. A great privilege lies in the fact that the company has two refit centers in Italy, where used yachts undergo a detailed inspection, if necessary are repaired, and so the used yacht is given to the new owner in the best condition.

Cranchi Yachts has a test center, where customers are allowed to inspect the selected model in detail, which includes a full inspection of the yacht's hull and subsequent test operation.

Q. The demand for yacht charters is increasing and several owners have started offering this service, including you, as far as I know. Tell us what type of yachts you rent out?
Chikvaidze: In addition to yacht sales, our company also offers yacht management services to owners, which includes chartering.

Last year proved to be quite fruitful there. We added several high-class yachts to serve those interested in chartering, and this niche is growing steadily.

Q. Is buying a yacht a good investment? How can a yacht become a source of income in Georgia?
Papiashvili: Statistically, a yacht is considered one of the most in-demand investment products in the world. This is due to the fact that the value of yachts does not depreciate dramatically, in some cases on the contrary ⁠— the value appreciates in spite of age. The yacht owner is given the opportunity to enjoy his/her yacht, as well as engage in rentals, the income from which fully covers the costs of operating the yacht, and is even more profitable if fully loaded.

By the way, our yachting season starts from April and lasts until December.

Q. If a yacht breaks down in Georgia, how are repairs handled?
Chikvaidze: Service is a very important part of yacht management. We have made progress here, if we consider that Volvo Penta, whose engines are mainly used in the yachts we import, is officially represented in Georgia.

Our company also cooperates with leading Turkish companies and uses their services, but this is sometimes not sufficient. We hope this area will be developed in the future.

Q. Your company has positively evaluated the launch of the Ambassadori Batumi Island project, which involves construction of a palm-shaped artificial island in Batumi. How can this project benefit the yachting industry and more specifically your company?
Papiashvili: Ambassadori Batumi Island is an important project for the Black Sea region, and not only for our company or for Ambassador, but Georgia as a whole. We believe this project will advance our country by about 100 years, more yachting companies will appear, and will guarantee that Georgia will become one of the centers of the global yachting scene, which is directly proportional to the creation of jobs.

And, of course, the project would also benefit us as a company in the industry.

Q. What is the connection between the development of the yachting industry and the development of the economy?
Chikvaidze: This connection is continuous and very strong. The development of the yacht industry in the country is proportionally related to individuals with high purchasing power, the creation of new and interesting jobs, and large investments.

Yachts are connected to other areas such as real estate, hotels, luxury stores and many others aimed at wealthier consumers.

And Ramses Yachts, along with our partner companies, will continue to make efforts to develop the yacht industry in Georgia and offer the best to our clients.

Carsil Forte Becomes No.1 Hepatoprotective Drug in Georgia

Italian Brand Basso Georgian Customers’ Favorite Olive Oil, Wins Golden Brand

With the best combination of taste and quality, Italian olive oil brand Basso has quickly established itself on the Georgian market and even become the favorite product of Georgian consumers.
Basso produces olive oils in the heart of Italy, and has been bringing all the excellence of Italian oil to Georgian customers. They are thankful to a Georgian company BMS, the importer and distributor of Basso for successful partnership.
Being the favorite olive oil of customers is also reflected in sales figures ⁠— sales of Basso increased by 30% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Tamar Kaladze, Head of Marketing Department at BMC, sat down with Golden Brand to introduce BMS to our readers and share the success story of Basso in Georgia.
Q. Basso has become Georgian customers’ favorite olive oil. What has determined the brand’s success in Georgia, in your opinion?
A. Before entering the market, our company conducted a consumer survey on what information they had about olive oil in general and its beneficial properties. As the research showed, in most cases knowledge was general. So we took it as a strategy to promote not only the brand Basso, but also olive oil. Not only Basso’s popularity is increasing year by year, but also interest in and consumption of olive oil in general.
The Georgian market is saturated with both olive and other grains oils. Establishing a place on the market was not so easy at first, but we managed to do it.
We try to explain to consumers the advantages of Basso olive oil over its competitors through various channels, teaching them how to recognize genuine, cold-pressed olive oil. Our work has paid off and now many olive oil is associated with Basso. We are still looking for ways to develop the brand and the niche.
Q. You highlighted Basso’s advantages over its competitors. Please give us other reasons that make Basso an outstanding olive oil.
A. The secret of Basso's success is its high quality.
The fats in cold-pressed olive oil are indispensable to human health. Basso product is not only olive oils, but also sunflower, corn, grapeseed and other useful grains oils.
Basso has been producing the highest quality olive oil for 120 years from the best varieties of olives, which includes 20 production lines. The entire process, including bottle production and label production, is carried out in one factory, so the quality of the product is not affected by external factors. The oil is produced using modern technology, where all Euro standards are observed. The brand has the highest quality certificates ⁠— HACCP, ISO, BRC, IFS, EMAS, Kosher, Halal, and others.

Georgian company BMS has been engaged not only in distribution but also in marketing campaigns for promoting Basso in Georgia for more than four years.
Basso has a brand manager in Georgia who, in agreement with the company, takes care of the development of the brand in our country.
Q. Please introduce us to BMS and other brands imported and distributed by the company to Georgia.
A. BMS has been operating for more than 20 years, since 2002. Our company carries out import, distribution and marketing of different products. BMS covers the whole of Georgia, and we are represented in all chain supermarkets. The head office is located in Tbilisi, regional offices are in Kutaisi and Batumi. We also have warehouses in five cities of Georgia.
BMS achieved its success step by step with a lot of work and dedication. BMS was slowly becoming an attractive company as an employer and as a reliable partner for suppliers. Today, the company employs about 230 people.
The company started by importing two or three pallets of each brand and now these brands are so popular in Georgia that they are supplied by containers every month. I will also say that enriching our portfolio with quality products is the main strategy of our company.
Our attitude to quality will not change in the future either, because it is part of our vision! We pay a lot of attention to market research, competitive analysis, and only after that do we make a decision to introduce a new brand to the market. The brand we will deal with must have the potential to become a top brand.
One of the turning points for our company was the flood of 2015, which significantly damaged the company, and we lost almost 80% of our stock. You remember that deadly flash flood that turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in decades. But the team rallied around each other and through hard work we got through it, and even better than before.
Q. Please tell us about the first BMS products offered in Georgia.
A. The first brand that BMS offered to Georgian consumers was the British razor brand Wilkinson Sword, which was soon added to the German brand Werner & Mertz, owner of the pioneering brand of environmentally friendly detergents, Frosch.
The W&M portfolio also includes the floor care products of Emsal and shoes care products of Erdal. They were followed by German home care brand Vileda. I would single out Basso, Reggia and Trolli from the food category.
Today BMS distributes more than 20 brands of up to 500 products in the area of both food and non food.

Bakuriani Inn Wins Golden Brand for Favorite Ski Hotel

Bakuriani Inn, a member of one of Georgia’s leading hospitality companies, Inn Group, has won the Golden Brand award for being Georgian customers’ and experts’ favorite ski hotel.

Bakuriani Inn features 154 rooms, a gym, hair and nail salons, and a famous spa center that includes a swimming pool, jacuzzis, massage rooms, saunas, and a steam room.

The hotel also boasts a conference hall, winter garden, a bar and a game zone, where guests can play pool and other table games.

It is also one of the very few hotels that offer three meals a day and one of the very few pet-friendly hotels not only in the region, but in the whole country.

All things considered, Bakuriani Inn is hands down the best choice for price- and quality-oriented guests.

Lana Bliadze, Head of PR and Marketing Department at Inn Group, talked about recent developments at Bakuriani Inn hotel in an interview with Golden Brand.

Q. Bakuriani Inn has won the Golden Brand award for successful activities of the previous year. Please summarize 2022.
A. When you work in the hospitality sector, your service is appreciated and you are rewarded for it, so there is obviously no greater incentive than that. Each new award is an even greater responsibility for us and appreciation of the work of those employees who take care of the hotel and comfort of every guest. This award is the merit of every employee at Inn Group and every guest who stays with us.

Overall, it can be said that the season passed normally, although it should be said that we did not really have a favorable weather situation. Snow started to fall in the second half of February, and by the beginning of March there was no snow, and sales of a mountain-ski resort, as you know, are tied to the weather forecast. Despite this the season was successful, because for the first time in Bakuriani's history there were more foreign guests than Georgians, which is obviously because of the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships.

Q. Bakuriani was a partner of the Championships, hosting some athletes and Championship insiders. Please tell us more about this partnership.
A. It was a great honor for us to host athletes participating in the championship. In total we hosted about 300 skiers from sixteen countries. Many of them said that they will visit our hotel next winter, this time with their families. So it wasn’t just mountain resorts that benefited, but each hotel where these athletes stayed.

Preparations for this championship actually started a few months ago. We had reservations far in advance and so we knew that we’d be fully booked.

As you know, Bakuriani traditionally had mainly Georgian vacationers. This year, for the first time, we had a higher number of foreigners among our guests. I believe and hope that Bakuriani will become more recognizable and attractive to foreign skiers.

Bakuriani is an extraordinary resort and it would be a shame if we didn’t take advantage of its full potential.

Q. Bakuriani Inn also hosted the Women's Para-Skiing Championship. Why did you decide to join?
A. The building of Bakuriani Inn hotel is adapted for people with disabilities. The hotel provides all the amenities that a disabled person may need for rest, so para-athletes visit us often.

Q. Bakuriani is a four-season resort and summer is the perfect time for family vacations. What attractions do you offer in summer?
A. The number of vacationers in Bakuriani increases especially in winter and summer. Because Bakuriani Inn hotel offers full service to vacationers, starting with three-course meals, a high-level spa center and entertainment spaces, the number of guests is also high.

Bakuriani Inn’s yard is lovely in summer, where about 300 coniferous trees create a wonderful aroma and environment. Bakuriani Inn is especially comfortable for family vacations owing to its child-friendly environment.

We expect quite a successful summer season as well.

Q. Please share some of Inn Group’s plans for the future.
A. Inn Group is opening a new hotel in Akhaltsikhe in the south-western region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Akhaltsikhe Inn will be a 115-room, five-star hotel which will feature a restaurant, swimming pool, sauna, gym, entertainment spaces with billiards and board games, a courtyard and conference halls.

The hotel will be suitable for foreigners, locals, and corporate clients.

Q. Inn Group has entered the real estate market with a new company in its holding ⁠— Inn Development. What are the factors that led to this decision?
A. Construction is not a new field for Inn Group, because every hotel that the Holding incorporates is built by us, as well as buildings in the Vashlijvari district of Tbilisi and apartments in Bakuriani. Each of them sold successfully, so we decided to position ourselves in the construction sector in 2022.

Currently, Inn Development is involved in the Inn Development Didi Dighomi project, which
involves the construction of four residential buildings over 14,000 sq.m. of territory with
playgrounds for children and football pitches, recreational areas and two-level parking lots.
As for the building itself, it is designed to withstand a level-8 earthquake. So only
certified, high-quality materials are used in the construction process.

In addition, the buildings in the residential complex are energy-efficient. The buildings utilize heat-insulating material, which will help our residents to save on their
utility bills. Of course, the buildings are also fully adapted and comfortable for people with
disabilities as well.

Simply Better With Anchor Butter: New Zealand Butter Wins Fourth Golden Brand in Georgia

Delicious, rich, creamy and golden Anchor butter from New Zealand continues to put delight in every bite all across Georgia.

Anchor has been providing a variety of butter in Georgia to suit customer taste for five years already. In return, Georgian customers have shown their appreciation for the fourth year in a row with the most influential and prestigious business award, the Golden Brand.

Lasha Babuadze, the founder of Everest 2010, a Georgian company importing and distributing Anchor butter in Georgia, summarized five years of operations in an interview with Golden Brand.

Q. Could you please recall when Anchor was first introduced to the Georgian market and how it became Georgian customers’ favorite brand of butter?
A. Anchor butter was founded in New Zealand in 1886. Exports to Georgia started in 2018 with marketing relying heavily on the product’s New Zealand heritage. That year, 85 tonnes of Anchor butter were imported to Georgia. Due to increased demand for the product and growing sales, we increased the import of Anchor butter to 130 tonnes and some years even more.

Anchor is available in 140 countries, including Georgia. The brand is proud to be successful everywhere it goes. With its taste and unique composition, Anchor butter easily wins the hearts of customers. Anchor is a fridge staple, eaten and loved by Georgian families around the country.

Q. Please share Anchor’s “story of goodness” from farm to table with us.
A. We know that consumers increasingly want to know where the products they buy come from, so we believe it’s important to highlight that the Anchor brand comes from New Zealand. Today, thanks to over 130 years of good old dairy know-how, modern innovation and ingenuity, the goodness of Anchor is available in over 160 products.

With more than thirty manufacturing sites across the country, Anchor processes about 16 billion liters of milk every year and exports about 95% of its local production to more than 140 countries.
Made with only the freshest cream from pasture-fed cows, Anchor butter has no additives, no preservatives and no coloring.

The key to Anchor’s worldwide success is its quality, which begins with the pastures and continues at every stage of production.

Q. Anchor always emphasizes New Zealand’s pastures when talking about the quality of its butter. What is so unique about New Zealand’s pastures that make the butter healthy and tasty?
A. The unique mild climate of New Zealand, the vast evergreen pastures and cows raised in an ecologically clean environment, are what determine the consistently high quality of milk and thus Anchor's butter.

Anchor boasts a GRASS-FED certificate which means that the butter is made from the milk of cows which graze on grass year-round.

New Zealand is a country with unique nature and climate, where a balanced amount of precipitation and sun makes it possible for all life to thrive.

It is located on the southern edge of the world, between the Tasmanian Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This is a place remote from industrial civilization, with pristine nature and purity for thousands of years.

The country is located on two large Islands, North and South, covered with dense forests, endless emerald-green pastures and majestic mountain ranges. The ecosystem is provided with both regular rainfall and the ideal number of sunny days per year, creating ideal conditions for plant growth. Due to the temperate climate and fertile soils, pastures thrive there. The grass grows rich in nutrients and with an incredibly verdant color.

New Zealand has more than six million dairy cows, with a human population of 4.8 million.
Grass is a natural food source for cows, and New Zealand is an ideal place to grow it all year round. At least 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, a fair amount of rain, favorable average daily temperatures and vast expanses of fertile land – these are ideal conditions for dairy farming.

It is a fact that well-fed cows produce high-quality milk, and that is why New Zealand farmers focus on growing green grass of selected quality and apply the best farming technology to maintain the health and well-being of cows on natural, free grazing. They spend up to 90% of their time in open pastures each year, and 85% of their diet is green grass. New Zealand has won international recognition in the field of animal welfare. The global Animal Protection Index also assigns the country first place.

Q. As we know the New Zealand government prohibits the use of growth hormones and antibiotics in dairy farming and we know that Anchor butter is also free from additives. What does it contain instead?
A. Yes. New Zealand milk is a natural source of a biologically available form of calcium, and rich in a number of other essential nutrients, protein and vitamins.

Butter is one of the purest dairy products in the world. Real New Zealand butter has a rich yellow color due to beta-carotene, a natural yellow pigment that gets into the milk from the grass that cows eat in New Zealand all year round.

Anchor butter contains beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the human body, a powerful antioxidant essential for the growth and proper function of the eyes and bones, for healthy skin, hair and the immune system.

It also contains vitamins D, E and K, which promote height growth and bone strength. That is why Anchor butter is great for children.

The beneficial properties of butter do not end there. It contains omega 3 and omega 6, which are not produced by the human body, but are essential for its healthy functioning.

Butter contains the vitamin CLA, which reduces the number of fat cells and promotes muscle growth.

Look out for our Trusted Goodness quality seal on pack. It’s our promise, to New Zealand and the world, that when you buy one of our products, you’ll be enjoying the world’s finest dairy.