by Nino Gugunishvili14.09.2016. For the first time in its history, the UK’s leading showcase of fine food and drink this year featured Georgian wine brands Badagoni and Lagvinari at London Olympia. With more than 850 exhibitors, London’s Speciality and Fine Food Fair is known as “the place to discover what’s making the news and what’s about to. From the new producers to the more established specialty brands, you’re sure to find fresh ideas and fresh new products to enhance your business offering.”
London-based company Cenimex, founded by Berdia Qamarauli and Dennis Muriu in August 2015, is a British import-export venture. It works under the Georgian Wine Club brand name, specializing in Georgian wine import and promotion in the UK. With a concept of selling only the highest quality Georgian wines to the UK market, the company is currently working with several Georgian wine companies and is planning to add more Georgian wine brands to their portfolio in the near future, “thus guaranteeing an exeptional wine experience to UK customers,” said Qamarauli.
Currently a member of British Georgian Chamber of Commerce (BGCC) and of the British Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), Georgian Wine Club supplies Georgian wines made by Lagvinari to the most prestigious London restaurants and hotels, including The Ritz, and famous wine shop Hedonism Wine in Mayfair.
Badagoni and Lagvinari wines were twice served at London’s reception of financial sector executives at Aston Martin’s main showroom in Mayfair. This counts the first time that Georgian wine has been served at such a high level event.
Cenimex was the only company at the Speciality and Fine Food fair this year, featuring Georgian Wine products on a specially designed stand - Taste of Georgia - with the Georgian Khachapuri (cheese pie) becoming an instant hit, prepared in one of the most popular Georgian restaurants ‘Little Georgia,’ based in London.
“We were pleasantly surprised to see how extremely popular Georgian food and wine was amongst the visitors to the show, 50 to 60 percent of whom were already aware that Georgia has the oldest and richest wine traditions, and that Georgia is a cradle of wine,” Qamarauli said.
Qamarauli sees participation in the Speciality and Fine Food Fair, the largest tradeshow with the involvement of the top businesses in the sector, as a huge step forward in terms of finding new partnerships. “A number of agreements were made throughout the three day event,” he said.
“It is also very important to emphasize the support we have from the Georgian Embassy in the UK and namely Tamar Beruchavili, the Ambassador, who attended the show, together with Gela Dumbadze, Georgia’s State Minister for Diaspora Issues. Founder-Director of the BGCC, Mako Abashidze, needs a very special mention, too, as she’s our long-time partner and friend and together we’re planning to organize a Georgian wine evening, a black tie event, in November this year,” Qamarauli said. “The Georgian National Wine agency and it’s head of marketing Irakli Cholobargia are aways very supportive too, and with their involvement and assistance we’re looking forward to bringing more top quality Georgian wine brands to the UK, introducing the best flavors and tastes our country has to offer.”
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