Factory-made Tklapi Appears on Georgian Market
Factory production of the Georgian national dessert Tklapi has been launched in Georgia. The factory-made packaged Tklapi, produced by Fruit Factory, appeared on the market several weeks ago.
Tklapi is a traditional Georgian roll-up pastille made with dried puree of different varieties of fruit, the most popular of which is sour plum (Tkemali), plums and figs. Tklapi can be sour or sweet. It is spread thinly onto a sheet and sun-dried on a clothesline where it thickens.
According to the founder, Timote Gvazava, at this stage they are producing four kinds of Tklapi: apple, sour plum, feijoa and apple + sour plum. The product is completely natural, without any additives. Sometimes the company receives prepared apple puree and then dries it.
“There is no factory-made Tklapi in Georgia. There is one producer but they also sell sun-dried products. Winter-produced products did not previously exist on the Georgian market, which was exactly our goal: to produce Tklapis not only in summer but in winter too,” said Gvazava in an interview with Georgian media outlet Commersant.
The company uses an enclosed drier to dry their product and have introduced new machinery to that end. Fruit Factory aims to offer customers products made in sanitary conditions, since the Tklapi found on the market today is handmade in unknown conditions and is sold without packaging.
Further, it aims to increase productivity, receive an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certificate and have simplified relations with European countries. It also plans to start producing Tklapis from other fruits and make other fruit products, though this requires special machinery which the company doesn’t yet have.
Fruit Factory’s Tklapis will soon appear on the shelves of supermarket chain Fresco. The company has also received requests from the Baltic States, Russia and Poland and is now working on the proposed conditions.
Fruit Factory was established in 2015 and started production a month ago. The company has invested GEL 150,000 and currently employs 12 people.
Ana Akhalaia