Churchkhela Could Become a Trendy Product on the Int'l Market

As Georgians continue introducing one of the most popular local candies churchkhela, also known as the ‘Georgian Snickers’ to guests, Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has given his vision to the East Fruit media platform regarding the potential of churchkhela to become a trendy and in-demand product on the global market.

“Traditional Georgian churchkhela fully suits the notion of a healthy product and with efforts it could become a popular and in-demand product worldwide,” Yarmak stated, referring to the growth of the significance of healthy nutrition observed globally. “Large supermarket chains and marketers are searching for new relevant products and churchkhela is made of natural edible material, without added sugar. It is an energy bar, a healthy snack.”

The FAO economist also notes that churchkhela has high prospects in terms monetarization and the product needs to be actively promoted on the international arena so as to catch the eye of leading supermarket chains.

For churchkhela to gain popularity and successfully establish itself on foreign markets, Yarmak strongly recommends the diversification of the product and the offering of a variety of fillings aside from the traditionally used walnuts. He also notes that through the augmentation of the production of churchkhela, it is also possible to increase the price of nuts, which already represent an expensive product.

Yarmak also spoke of the legislation related to the export of churchkhela and its production beyond the limits of Georgia. East Fruit expands this theme by providing the comment of Irakli Kasradze, Head of the Department of Trademarks, Geographical Indications and Design at the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (SAKPATENTI), who notes that “Churchkhela is a serious products and its movement abroad might bring profit to the business sector, as well as the entire country.”

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya