May 8, 2008

ACDI/VOCA Facilitates First Large-Scale Export of Georgian Bay Leaves to Turkey

ACDI/VOCA has facilitated the first large-scale export agreement of bay leaves from Georgia to Turkey. Georgian Aroma Company Ltd. (Aromaco), the country’s largest producer of bay leaves and spices, will deliver to Turkey’s Kütaş A.S. 50 tons of bay leaves worth $245,000, with an arrangement to increase the annual supply to 1,000-1,500 tons, consisting of a value between $2.5-7 million. The Turkish company is a supplier for McCormick & Company, Inc., the world's foremost distributor of dried herbs and spices.

From 2006-2007, in collaboration with the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, ACDI/VOCA’s USAID-funded AgVANTAGE project helped Georgian bay leaf producers participate in various international trade fairs, including the Fancy Food Show in New York in July 2007.

Aromaco was one of the companies featured at the "Taste of Georgia" booth at the event, which led to a series of negotiations with Kütaş A.S, the global leader in bay leaf processing. As a result, Aromaco signed a contract with Kütaş A.S. to export hand-selected bay leaves. Kütaş A.S. has agreed to provide support to Aromaco to improve its processing technology and provide information on drying, sorting and packaging of bay leaves.

Partnerships such as these are critical for Georgian agricultural development. The collaboration with Kütaş A.S. has bolstered Aromaco’s growth, generated jobs and provided a stable market and reliable income for the smallholder farmers supplying the raw materials.

For more information on AgVANTAGE, click here.