In early February, poultry integrator Chirina in Georgia added 14 new turnkey broiler houses to increase production by 50 per cent. The expansion of their facilities was co-financed with a €4 million loan by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the EU.
The Covid-19 outbreak did not stop Chirina’s management from bringing the new facilities up to full operation.
“Success is a journey, not a destination”, is the motto of Chirina. As one of the biggest Georgian agricultural companies, they possess the latest technology, operational efficiency and motivated staff. Chirina is a strong party to let Georgia become self-sufficient and consequently less important from imported poultry.
Rapid growth
Chirina was founded in 2007 by Revaz Vashakidze, a biochemist by education and profession.
Chirina is a fully vertically integrated operation, which allows them to run a full production chain, ranging from their own feed plant to fresh poultry meat. Also they have their own wheat and corn fields . Moreover they are selling hatching eggs throughout the country. Chirina rapidly expanded. Their poultry meat and hatching eggs now account for 40 and 60 per cent of domestic consumption and production respectively.
Historically, Georgia has been importing poultry. Now, mostly thanks to Chirina, import volumes have shrunk and are expected to drop even further as Chirina’s production capacity is on the increase.
“Local produce is vital in the domestic food industry” says Revaz. They are selling fresh poultry and poultry products under the Biu-Biu label throughout Georgia. According to Revaz, Chiriza is in control of all levels of production, allowing them to easily respond to evolving needs, better control quality and quickly address any problems. Currently, over 450 people are working for the company.
Under the Biu-Biu label, Chirina is selling fresh poultry throughout Georgia
Cooperation with EBRD and EU
The EBRD started working with the Chirina back in 2017 on an international advisory project, which was funded by the European Union. International industry experts assisted Chiriva to fine-tune its business procedures and plans for a new production facility.
Shortly thereafter, Chirina became the first company in Georgia to join the Blue Ribbon Programme, an EBRD initiative targeting high-growth businesses with a combination of financial and advisory products.
The € 4 million loan enables Chirina to obtain additional production capacity. “We are extremely thankful for this”, Revaz Vashakidze concludes. “It enables us to further expand our business, to ensure that production keeps on rolling and thus guaranteeing the availability of food.”