Good enough to eat: Georgia hosts international food exhibition
By Christina Tashkevich

The Messenger, Georgia
Nov 17 2006

Twenty-nine companies working in the food industry from Georgia,
Armenia, Poland and Azerbaijan gathered at the Sheraton Metekhi Palace
hotel on Thursday to display everything from pickles to beer.

The organisers of the 3rd food exhibition-the British exhibition
company ITE Group PLC and its partner in Georgia ITECA Kavkasia-stress
the importance of the event for Georgia, which has great potential
in the agricultural sector.

"The interest of foreign companies in gaining positions on the
Georgian market is not accidental. This exhibition has already become
a tradition, and seems to be the mediator in the establishment of
business contacts and in drawing investments," the organisers said
Thursday.

The general director of Armenian company Echmiadzin Cannery, Zareh
Sargsyan, says that his company plans to gain a foothold in the
Georgian food market.

"Armenian tomato paste was famous in the Soviet Union, and we want
to refresh these memories," he told The Messenger.

The company produces a broad range of canned products including
tomatoes, pickles, and jams and has already exported several containers
of its products for the Georgian market. It hopes to export more in
the future.

Polish company DGS, which produces various types of seals for
the food and pharmaceutical industries, is also interested in the
Georgian market. "We thought it’s an excellent chance for us to
present our products to the right market here in Georgia. You are
a very well-known producer of wine, so we are here ready to work,"
the company’s technical sales support manager Anna Napiorkowska told
the paper.

Italian company Zanetti Spa can offer Georgian customers the many
different types of cheese it produces. "We export to 50 countries,
why not to Georgia?" the company representative said.

Georgian companies at the exhibition included drinks manufacturers
Natakhtari, Bagrationi 1882 and Kazbegi.

The exhibition will last until November 18, on display are food
products, alcohol and soft drinks, ingredients and food supplements,
packaging equipment, restaurant and bar equipment.