EU supported Georgian winemaker on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe list

25-year-old Baia Abuladze is a Georgian winemaker who has received entrepreneurial support from the EU in the areas of informal education, the improvement of contacts, sales and the promotion of products. She was named by Forbes​ for the 2019 30 Under 30 Europe list. Her success is also a success for EU support to young women worldwide.

'Winemaking had always been our family business, but we used to make it for ourselves and not for commercial purposes,' says Baia Abuladze, who comes from Obcha village in the Bagdati Municipality. 'Then it became an interesting job for the younger members of the family and we took steps to turn our family’s tradition into a business.'

That business was Baia’s Wine. Launched in 2015, Baia’s products are already being sold not only in Georgia, but also in the EU. She runs the company with her sister Gvantsa, and the products they manufacture are famous wine brands in Imereti region: 'Tsolikouri', 'Tsitska', 'Krakhuna', 'Otskhanuri Sapere.' Baia’s plans to also revive the production from a ‘lost’ vine that is not used in agriculture any more and has only been preserved in vitro.

Baia has received entrepreneurial support from the EU in the areas of informal education, the improvement of contacts, sales and the promotion of products. 'I gave a presentation at the EU-supported conference for women-entrepreneurs and established some interesting contacts. The event was organised in Brussels by the WEgate platform supported by the European Commission,' she explains. Baia also took part in the Women's Entrepreneurship Laboratory in Ukraine, organised by the European Training Foundation, where she learned about the types of assistance offered to women in different countries and the ways they succeed in enhancing their business.

While Baia has been with the company since its inception, Gvantsa joined later and brought a wealth of new experience thanks to the year she spent with the European Voluntary Service programme in Sweden. 'Gvantsa has joined us with new and innovative ideas,' Baia says. 'She not only manages our wine production, but is also involved in tourism development. She registered us on TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Airbnb. My sister has introduced the European experience and knowledge she gained into our environment.'

Gender equality is a necessity to achieve peace and economic prosperity around the world. The EU supports initiatives that promote gender equality, access to opportunity and education throughout the neighbourhood. 

✅ More on EU support to Baia
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