Story of a Cooperative “Lelo 2014”

ENPARD presents photo project of one of the agricultural cooperatives “Lelo 2014” which has received EU assistance through ENPARD’s regional partner People in Need (PIN).

In 2013, Mamuka Vashakidze and members of hiscooperative were invited to Kutaisi to participate in a Wine and Cheese Festival as a small producers. As their products were received with high interest, the members of the cooperative began to believe that cheese production could become a stable source of income. The challenge was to produce more with less costs, so the group started on the path to create the cooperative “Lelo 2014” with the assistance of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) programme and in particular through its regional partner People in Need (PIN).

Today, “Lelo 2014” has its own cheese production factory, as well as a refrigerated vehicle equipped with a lactoscan that checks milk quality. After elaborating a business oriented plan, the cooperative was able to establish a dairy production process which is growing daily. Together with technological secrets, the cooperative’s success has a uniqueblendof modern approaches and traditional practices.

Usually referred to as Georgian pizza, Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread that has variations according to specific regions. Khachapuri from the Imereti region is the most prominent version as it is the local cheese that makes Imeruliso special.The Imereti region has always been known for its high quality dairy products and it is this prominent heritage that inspired farmers from the town of Khoni to combine their efforts to introduce international standards to the production of local cheese and dairy products. The cooperative offers a number of innovative products such as cheese with red pepper, onions, adjika and herbs.

We interviewed Mr. Mamuka Vashakidze, head of “Lelo 2014” to find out more about the cooperative’s success:

– Could you please tell us the story about establishing the cooperative?

– In 2013, we decided to create a cooperative with 6 men and 4 women. This is a union of neighbors from the Khoni municipality. We were invited to a Wine Festival in Kutaisi, with the request to present our cheese. It was first time when I learned that these two products, wine and cheese go well together. Our products received favorable attention during the festival so this inspired us to improve our cheese production. We knew about the ENPARD programme because representatives of the project had given information sessions in villages that we attended. We could not even imagine that we would get ENPARD support but after going through the processes we were able to develop a real project.

– What kind of assistance did you get from ENPARD programme?

ENPARD gave us technical support and a grant of 46,000 GEL, for machinery and equipment. Our contribution was 7,800 GEL which went towards repairing the building for dairy production.

-Could you please tell us more about the production phase of your work? What are the international standards followed and how does the cooperative check the quality of the milk used?

• We produce milk on our farm and we buy milk produced in 6 villages in our municipality. We check the quality of milk with the help of a lactoscan we received with the support of the ENPARD programme. This equipment provides rapid analysis and measurement of fat (FAT) solids non-fat (SNF), density, proteins, lactose, salts, water content percentages, temperature (C), freezing point, pH levels, conductivity, as well as the total solids of one and the same sample directly after milking, at collecting and during processing. So we check the milk with the lactoscan and then begin the process of filtering and pasteurization in order to exclude any risks of unsafe milk being used for dairy production. After this phase we start processing with the use of other machines and equipment we also received within the framework of ENPARD.

– Was there any assistance from ENPARD focusing on the development of your products?

• Yes, of course. ENPARD organized a tour in Czech Republic, where we visited farms near Prague and the experience of the Czech farmers was presented. We had an opportunity to taste unique local cheeses. We also asked the head of the local farm to share the recipes of the types of cheese they are producing and in exchange we offered him a recipe for Sulguni, a brined Georgian cheese from the Samegrelo region. The director promised to visit Georgia by the end of summer and we are looking forward to share experiences and best practices. This is just one example of the projects that ENPARD implements, but we also get information on regular basis to improve our production.

– How many types of dairy products do you produce at the moment?

• We produce 18 types of dairy products currently, but there are plans to increase this number greatly. We experiment from time to time and present new products in order to test consumers’ reactions such as producing a small quantity of cheese with red pepper, onions, adjika and herbs. We even arranged a tasting event in a local supermarket where we presented dairy products with traditional recipes along with products with new innovations. Some of the products received special attention and were particularly popular during the event. We get orders from the local population who participated in the event and we supply them with their favorites.

– Do you face problems in sales at this point and what are the plans of the cooperative in the long run?

• Currently, we do not have a sales problem, but unfortunately sales are transacted through the involvement of traders. This fact increases the price of the products for consumers and also decreases income for us. We want to introduce our production directly to supermarket networks and for that reason we are working on the branding of our products. As for our development plans, we plan to open a shop in Khoni, Samterdia and Kutaisi as we would like to have direct contact with consumers. As for branding, we are thinking to name the different types of cheese with the names of women. At the present time, we produce more than 1 ton of per month of only Sulguni cheese.

– What role does the cooperation play in your work and what would be your advice for farmers?

• I cannot imagine our production without the help of the ENPARD programme. We are supported on a regular basis and from my personal experience, I can advise farmers to form cooperatives and use the opportunities offered by ENPARD.