Georgia is facing unexpected difficulties in strategic goals accomplishment (sustainable rural growth), due to intensive & fast growth & lobbing for intensive agriculture, related with big land purchases. This influences local products, rural SMEs (incl. food&hospitality sector) and unique rural culture. Offering super quality, innovative and market sought products (asparagus, artichokes, rose petals, dried fruits, traditional cheeses, wine) and services (tastings, workshops, presentations) GE rural SMEs are unable to reap a corresponding profit, as they are hampered by curbed access to technical (new varieties, cost effective technologies, storage, packing, micro-infra.) and non-technical innovations (certification, design, branding, targeted marketing, new sales channels). Limited access to know-how, networks, capital: grants/ preferential credits; 3. Compounded by unconducive institutional frameworks on Short Food Supply Chains: bureaucratic burden on direct sales, strict sanitary roles for micro production, limited access to EU recognized certification.
The projects develops previous VF action: Local Tastes of AAs to support local products and short food supply chains in EaP during which a special need of V4 best practices promotion in Georgia was identified. The intervention rationale was elaborated with project partners (V4+GE) choosing the methodology with bigger impact and promotional potential. The project aims to share V4 experience, boost competitiveness, profits and export potential of GE rural start-ups and SMEs
During 2nd Leg of LAB & Tour de Grantees of Kakheti in Georgia in frame of the project V4 for smart and competitive rural SMEs in Georgia. Experts from V4 provided on-site advisory visits and tutored micro enterprises that organized the promotional Tour de Grantees of Kakheti on April 23.
Grant winners have obtained knowledge in the field of direct sales and packaging in accordance with EU regulations, benefits of BIO and GI certification for wine, food, essential oils and craft products, wine marketing (Sales of Terroir), storytelling in niche wine production, intelligent technical solutions for micro-vineyards, and how to get easy access to loans and grants.