Startup “Gemozea” plans to produce dry tkemali and tomato sauces in disposable packages. Although the production of dry sauces is not an innovation itself, it is a novelty in the production of Georgian traditional sauces. The startup has won the Future Agro Challenge Georgia 2022 and got a cash prize in the amount of 8000 GEL ($3,029) also attendance at the international startup summit in Greece in 2023.
In a conversation with EastFruit, the co-founder of the startup, Giorgi Chkhaidze, noted that the idea came to him after he faced difficulty in transporting sauces within glass bottles, especially abroad, where the consumers of local sauces often are Georgian immigrants and restaurants. Transportation prices depend on the weight and the glass packaging was a large part of it. Besides, the glass package was not safe for transportation.
Giorgi Chkhaidze is an agronomist and has been involved in the family business of producing sauces with local recipes and products from the Guria region, where his family lives. The concept of Gomozea also involves the promotion of local products, although in an unconventional form.
In 2022, the startup produced a test number of dry sauces to present it to interested audience. The testing amounts were produced by drying the ingredients in the sun, afterward grinding, and mixing in correct proportions. Dried sauces were packed in 100-gram packages designed by the startup team. Each package of dry mass can increase in volume up to 80-120% by adding water. All the basic ingredients are included in the sauce, although the consumer can make other additions to their own taste.
According to Chkhaidze, commercial production of sauces will start from the new season, in spring of 2023. The grant won in the Future Agro Challenge will be used to construct a dryer. On 2023 season startup plans to produce up to 400 kilograms of dry sauces, which will be sold in an online store and supplied to several Georgian restaurants in Great Britain. The price of each package will be 2.5-4 GEL ($0.95-$1.51), depending on the type of sauce.
