Golden Brand 2021 Winners - The Most Important Independent Business Award of the Year

On June 25, 2022, the Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi hosted the 17th Golden Brand Awards, often referred to as Georgia's business Oscars.

Organized by Global Idea and The Financial, Golden Brand is the main award for successful business projects in Georgia, voted by experts and consumers openly.

Golden Brand is an invaluable prize. It raises the reliability among consumers, makes the brand an international trademark and it is efficiently used by Georgian as well as international brands. 

The project was supported by: American Stock News, international magazine; Glossy, Publika.ge, radio Commersant FM 95,5 , Radio Maestro FM  94, 7, Radio Vinili FM 99, 7, Radio  M7 - FM  -93.1, International Chamber of Commerce and Georgian Association of Entrepreneur Women.

Golden Brand Award Ceremony has been taking place annually since 2006 and it is recognized as the most prestigious and influential business awards in Georgia.

This year, 50  winner brands were awarded in the presence of media.

Golden Brand  polls were participated by the professors-lecturers of higher educational institutions, managers, business administration specialists, consultation companies, state and non-state sector representatives, independent experts in economic issues and simultaneously, the poll was conducted among the consumers and they named the No1 Golden Brand.

The Award Ceremony always falls under a huge attention of media and business society. The journalists of different media channels had a possibility to meet the leading businessmen, the representatives of diplomatic corps, government officials, ministers and their deputies. 

Top management of more than 100 largest Georgian and foreign business companies attended the award ceremony. The title Golden Brand has been awarded to companies since 2006. The Golden Brand title holders are the largest Georgian and international companies.

 This year, these were the nominees in different categories:

N 1  Golden Brand winners:

Industrial Construction - No1 Golden Brand - IC Company

Development company - No1 Golden Brand - Archi

Cement Foreign Brand - No1 Golden Brand - Betek Fayfiks

Hypermarket of Construction Materials - No1 Golden Brand - Bricorama

Facing Materials - No1 Golden Brand - Allstone

Manufacture of metal products - No1 Golden Brand - K GROUP

For its contribution to the development of the cable industry - No1 Golden Brand -Sakcable

For its contribution to the development of the yachting industry - No1 Golden Brand - Azimut Yachts

Premium Car Showroom - No1 Golden Brand - Hyundai Auto Georgia

Ski Resort Hotels Chain - No1 Golden Brand - Inn Group

Outbound travel company - No1 Golden Brand - Voyager 365

Casino - No1 Golden Brand - Shangri  La

Shaving products - No1 Golden Brand - Gillette 

Payment Cards - No1 Golden Brand - Mastercard

Security Systems - No1 Golden Brand - Veziri

Transportation of Cargo - No1 Golden Brand - Gianti Logistics

Discovery of the Year: road projections, architecture - No1 Golden Brand -  Universal Project

Heating Cooling Ventilation systems - No1 Golden Brand - Celsius

Water Pump - No1 Golden Brand - Shimge

Architectural Paints - No1 Golden Brand - Betek

Outdoor Advertising Service - No1 Golden Brand - Alma

Private School - No1 Golden Brand - European Shool

Chain of children's clothing and shoe stores  - No1 Golden Brand - Bebe +

Baby skincare products - No1 Golden Brand -Weleda

Hair care (shampoo) - No1 Golden Brand - Head & Shoulders 

Jewelry Store Chain - No1 Golden Brand - Franco Fontana

Beauty Industry - No1 Golden Brand - Avon

Detergents (dishwashing liquid) - No1 Golden Brand - Fairy 

Pharmaceutical Company - No1 Golden Brand - PSP

Painkiller - (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - No1 Golden Brand - NUROFEN

Pain Reliever - Warmth - Producing Ointment - No1 Golden Brand - Kapsikam®  

Complex of vitamins for children - No1 Golden Brand - Simbavit

Children’s hygienic products - No1 Golden Brand - Pampers

Artificial insemination center No1 Golden Brand - BIRTH

Medical Supplies & Equipment - No1 Golden Brand - Tbilisi Medic

Household Products - No1 Golden Brand - Melochi Zhizni  

Hand soap - No1 Golden Brand - Safeguard 

Sunflower Seeds - No1 Golden Brand - Solari

Chocolate - No1 Golden Brand - Milka

Meat products - No1 Golden Brand - Schirnhofer

Herbalife Nutrition Georgia /Balanced Nutrition - No1 Golden Brand - Herbalife Nutrition Georgia

Children’s Nutrition - No1 Golden Brand - Nestle

Production of Bread and Biscuits No1 Golden Brand - Madam De

Food ingredients industry - No1 Golden Brand - Doehler Georgia

Production of semi - finished products - No1 Golden Brand - Rera

Butter - No1 Golden Brand - Anchor

Chewing Gum - No1 Golden Brand – Dirol

Dental care products - No1 Golden Brand - Blend-A-Med 

Tea, Foreign Brand - No1 Golden Brand - Hyleys

Detergents (washing powder) - No1 Golden Brand - Ariel 

GLOBAL IDEA

Marketing Research Company, annual organizer of Golden brand Award Ceremony and publisher of the magazine Golden Brand and business catalogue Golden Book.  www.globalidea.ge

The FINANCIAL

Issued by Intelligence Group since 2005. 75% of the newspaper readers are high and medium level managers. The FINANCIAL is distributed to more than 600 companies and organizations in Georgia. According to the studies, THE FINANCIAL is the most demanded newspaper in the business audience. www.finchannel.com | www.financial.ge

Universal Project Wins Discovery of The Year Category from Golden Brand Awards

After successfully rebranding in 2021, Universal Project, Georgia’s leading construction project management company, with fifty years of experience and history, has begun a new life with a new name and new goals. The company has already taken impressive steps towards taking the lead, and for its success in the previous year, Universal Project has received the Golden Brand award in the category ‘Discovery of The Year’.

The company is growing and planning a number of activities in the future to do with training, simplification of design, and quality maximization.

Director of Universal Project, Lasha Chelidze, said the company actively cooperates with European companies, sharing experience, knowledge and innovations.

“As an example of such cooperation, we signed a memorandum with the Swiss company GeoBrugg, a global leader in the supply of high-tensile steel wire safety nets and mesh. Among many other important issues, this cooperation with Geobrugg includes the process of training staff to adapt their work style to European standards,” he said.

Specializing in road, water systems, architecture, and topographic works, Universal Project offers a full range of services to customers.

“Partnerships with internationally recognized companies allow the team to solve a project task of any complexity optimally and creatively,” Chelidze said.

Q. Please introduce us to Universal Project. How has the company been developed over the years?
A. The company has been operating on the market for more than fifty years, but before rebranding last year, we went by another name - Roadmap Project and Expertise.

We offer a full package of services to our clients. We guarantee any type of complex project completion with our experienced team, innovative approach, and high competency. We serve the state, large investors and any stakeholders.

Today, we at Universal Project mainly specialize in road works, water systems, projecting, and topography works. With the help of our international partnerships, such as with GeoBrugg, our team can work with complexity and widen our influence on the market.

Over the past year, the company has completed a number of private and public infrastructure design projects and dramatically strengthened its market position.

Q. Please go into more detail and tell us how many projects the company undertook last year and which of them was the most distinguished?
A. Universal Project completed more than forty projects last year in the field of roads, architecture and water pipes. The total construction cost of the projects was more than 150 million GEL.

One of the more challenging projects for us was the Metro Station Gotsiridze project. We started preparations in November 2021. After completion, Metro Station Gotsiridze became the first inclusive metro in the Caucasus, fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and in maximum compliance with European standards.
Q. You mentioned a recently signed memorandum with GeoBrugg. How did this cooperation come about?
A. Due to the scope of our activities, we often have to deal with geographically difficult terrain, and we work on difficult technical jobs. By signing a memorandum with GeoBrugg, both companies aim to increase the area of their activities by combining knowledge, experience and resources, and to work together on a number of private or public infrastructure projects.

We are proud that Universal Project is the only representative of GeoBrugg in Transcaucasia.

In addition, last year we had a business meeting with the French industrial group, MND France, and discussed prospects of cooperation. MND France specializes in cable mobility, snowmaking systems, mountain safety and thrill-seeking leisure infrastructures.

Q. What are the challenges Universal Project faces on the market and how do you wish the business environment would improve?
A. We are proud that the Universal Project team is staffed with highly qualified people, which simplifies the work process and raises its quality. However, finding such people in the market is quite difficult. We also try to help young people get qualifications and improve their professional skills in order to have more qualified staff on the market. We actively cooperate with the Georgian Technical University, employ excellent students, and promote their professional development. We plan to support more students as the company grows.

Once in a quarter, the Union of Construction Appraisers issues the Construction Resources Book, and basically, the project's accounting documentation is compiled according to the information given therein. The problem is that the pricing policies set out in the book are inconsistent with market data, which further poses a problem for the construction company that undertakes the project.

In addition, the demand for bidding experience of companies participating in public procurement should be tightened, as a number of companies are winning projects at low prices, which leads to a decline in quality. As a result, it becomes necessary to prepare a new project or correct an existing one.

Q. Universal Project has received the Golden Brand award for Road Design and Architecture. What does this award mean to the company?
A. We think that a responsible approach, striving for innovation, and making the right design decisions have become the indicators of our success.

We are especially pleased with the fact that Universal Project was able to complete a number of complex projects in a very short period of time after the resumption of work.

For us, receiving this award is recognition and appreciation of the hard work and enthusiasm which our team shows on a daily basis in the performance of any task.
Winning the Discovery of the Year nomination motivates us and emphasizes that the company is moving in the right direction.

In addition, we are striving to introduce new standards, technologies and innovations that will help us implement projects of national importance, and giving those in need more convenient access to facilities.

Europharma Georgia Continues to Expand Product Range in Georgian pharmaceutical market

Europharma Georgia continues to take care of the health of the local population and at the same time, strengthen its position on the market. Following modern global trends and adjusting to the needs of the local medical and pharmaceutical sectors, Europharma Georgia promises to continue offering innovative pharmaceutical products and expand its product range in Georgia.

Europharma Georgia was founded in 2011. Director of the company Alisa Arslan said that Europharma Georgia has managed to compete with many experienced and famous companies in a short period of time and establish its proper place in the Georgian pharmaceutical market.

“Initially, Europharma Georgia entered the Georgian market with six drugs and several employees; today the company offers about forty drugs, and the number of employees has increased to forty-five,” Alisa Arslan said.

The main goal of Europharma Georgia is to identify the needs of consumers and to offer them “focused, unique and innovative products.”

“The company's business strategy is clearly focused on quality,” she added.

Europharma Georgia currently offers medicines that are sold in various countries around the world, including medicines, which analogues are not available in the Georgian pharmaceutical market.

“It should be noted that the company's priority is the health of the next generation, so the medical drugs for the pediatric group take one of the main places in the total lineup of the products,” Alisa Arslan said.

Europharma Georgia was valued precisely for its care for children’s health and became the winner of the Golden Brand award for the first time. Over a hundred experts and consumers named Simbavit, one of the medicines offered by Europharma Georgia, as their favorite vitamin for children.

Q. Congratulations on winning the Golden Brand. What does this award mean for Europharma Georgia?
A. Thank you very much!

For me personally, not only as a health manager, but also as a doctor, the quality of the product is a priority. Quality is what determines the effectiveness of the product, leads to a positive attitude from patients and consumer loyalty.

This is what happened in the case of Simbavit - its quality and effectiveness led the vitamin complex to become Georgian consumers’ favorite. Golden Brand is very important recognition and appreciation for our company, because it proves we are on a right way. Also, it gives us a motivation to carry on taking care of the health of all age groups and do many more positive, innovative things in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Q. What are the advantages of Simbavit?
A. Simbavit syrup contains thirteen vitamins and four micronutrients necessary for the development of the child's body and is enriched with beta-glucan; It is also necessary for the formation and development of eyesight, the nervous system, heart and skeletal system.

Simbavit improves metabolism, the physical and intellectual development of the child, fills any deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals, improves appetite, provides mineralization and strengthening of bones and teeth. Moreover, strengthens the protective forces of the child's body. It is a powerful antioxidant, which is especially important for today's kids who spend a lot of time with modern gadgets. Simbavit syrup is important for the prevention of childhood illness and also for rapid rehabilitation post-illness.

Its pleasant orange flavor is also popular. That's why Simbavit syrup is a favorite multivitamin for every child and parent.

Simbavit has been available on the Georgian market since 2015.

Q. Have sales increased over the year in Georgia?
A. In 2021, the number of Simbavit customers increased by almost 50%.

Q. What is the contribution of Europharma to the development of the Georgian pharmaceutical market?
A. Pharmaceuticals are one of the most important sectors in healthcare. In recent years, the global economic crisis following the pandemic and increased competition have had a major impact on the sector.

Despite these negatives, Europharma's contribution to the Georgian pharmaceutical market is huge, and since 2011 we have been importing both therapeutic and preventative pharmaceutical and herbal remedies.

Our priority is to improve the quality of life of our population. We offer our customers reliable, efficient, high-quality medicines. In a highly competitive and saturated market, we are growing and developing according to the customer requirements. Our company was the first to offer innovative formulas to consumers that did not exist in Georgia before, such as Nemolix C3, Zinconet C, Coenza QL, etc.

In the future we will continue to bring innovative products to the country, because continuous development and introducing innovations are one of the most important goals of our company.

Shimge Water Pumps Georgia Wins Golden Brand For Second Year In a Row

Shimge Water Pumps Georgia has won the Golden Brand award, Georgia’s most influential and prestigious business award, often referred to as “the Oscars of the Business World”.

The company won the Golden Brand award for utmost success achieved in 2021.

“I believe that Shimge is a leader in water pumps on the Georgian market. It is a successful company. We are always focused on introducing innovations. Also, the products we offer are competitive, of high quality and available. We also offer a good service,” head of the company, Raul Khidirov, cited as reasons for the company's success.

Shimge Water Pumps Georgia won its first Golden Brand last year.

The company has been present on the Georgian market since 1998 and initially worked in the plumbing field.

“Later we added water pumps. The products we offer are extremely popular,” Khidirov says.

Shimge is a Chinese brand and, as Khidirov says, “it has its advantages compared to other, similar European brands.”

“I can definitely say that it enjoys high popularity worldwide and is not inferior to European brands in terms of quality and performance.

“At the same time, the price is affordable. The combination of high quality and lower price makes Shimge water pumps attractive for consumers,” Khidirov says.

The company offers all types of water pumps, both for domestic and industrial use, and “lways in large quantities”.

“We never stop adding innovative products,” Khidirov stated.

Shimge products are available in every region of the country; the company has branches in all large cities of Georgia.

“We easily communicate with consumers. They find us without issue and we offer them the products they need at an affordable price,” Khidirov said.

The products offered by Shimge Water Pumps Georgia include well, bore-hole, drainage, sewer, irrigation water, circulatory, fire, freshwater pumps and others.

Khidirov said that the products they offer “are increasingly popular in Georgia” and are “very competitive due to lower price and high quality.”

He stated that reliability, flexible service, affordable price and wide presence around the country has helped the company work successfully during the pandemic.

Agricultural companies and HPPs, including Enguri HPP, are among Shimge's larger clients.

Q. Which pumps are most in demand?
A. I believe that well and pressure pumps are more popular compared to other pumps due to water provision problems on the outskirts of cities.

Q. How has the pandemic affected the company?
A. The pandemic has not affected us much. We have managed to overcome the complications of the pandemic easily and have sold our products successfully.

Demand for our products did not decline during the pandemic and we ensured proper service and delivery.

Q. What is the share of online sales?
A. It is not a large share. The share of offline sales is much higher. Of course, we are present on social media and consumers have the possibility to contact us there.

However, the scale of our offline sales allows us not to be extremely active on social media or provide an online shop.