Due to increasing demand on the domestic market, the company Walnuts.ge is currently examining the possibility of expanding the walnut plantation in eastern Georgia, which already covers over 200 hectares, by a further 50 hectares. The marketing potential of walnuts is huge, emphasises Ivo Siewert, one of the German co-partners, who has been living in Georgia since the project was founded seven years ago. "Georgia's climate is ideal for growing walnuts, and the product is deeply rooted in the country's culture. It is not for nothing that Georgia has the highest per capita consumption of walnuts in the world. Nevertheless, a large part of the required quantity is still imported from abroad and when we started the plantation, there was no large producer who could supply pure walnuts from local cultivation."
Insight into the walnut plantation in Sagarejo, eastern Georgia
Walnuts.ge is now recognised as the leading company for industrial walnut cultivation in Georgia and has been cooperating with renowned experts from Spain and Portugal since its beginnings. The growing company currently employs around 25 permanent staff. There are enough day labourers, as the plantation is located in the immediate vicinity of one of the largest villages in the region. In terms of automation, the company relies on harvesting machines from Monchiero and a processing plant from Obreo. Siewert: "In cultivation, we rely exclusively on the two varieties, Chandler (80 per cent) and Howard (20 per cent). Chandler is the most sought-after variety on the world market. Howard starts flowering and yielding a little earlier, which is why the two varieties complement each other perfectly. Both varieties sell similarly well on the market, which is why we are not currently considering any others."
Walnuts.ge is planning new plantings on around 50 hectares in the year after next.
Focus on the Georgian domestic market
In terms of marketing, the company is focussing exclusively on supplying the fresh market. "Due to the fact that our nuts are very valuable, they are less suitable for industrial use. So far, we have mainly focussed on the Georgian domestic market. This market is far from saturated, and Georgian consumers are showing great interest in high-quality nuts. Nevertheless, we have all the certificates we need to export to important markets such as the EU," explains Siewert.
State-of-the-art machinery is already being used during the harvest.
This year's season has got off to a promising start, continues Siewert. "Most of our customers from the previous year are interested in buying again. In addition, the price situation in Georgia remains interesting for us. We see little competitive pressure from countries with mass production such as the USA or Chile. Although their market prices are considerably lower than ours, this is also reflected in the quality. Our customers appreciate the short supply chain and the uncompromising freshness of the produce and are happy to pay the higher prices."
Capacity increase of up to 150 hectares possible
With the planned expansion of the plantation, the company is looking ahead with confidence. Siewert: "In our opinion, the Georgian market still has good growth potential and several advantages over other growing countries, above all its proximity to the largest consumer markets. There is certainly scope for expansion: Because our processing facilities would still have capacity for another 150 ha."
Photo credit: Walnuts.ge
For more information:
Ivo Siewers
Walnuts.ge
Tbilisi office
I. Tarkanishvili St 16
Tbilisi, Georgia
Phone: +995 595 01 70 89
Email: [email protected]
www.walnuts.ge