Stained glass windows produced in Batumi are experiencing a growing demand both locally and internationally, claimed Art Glass Studio’s founder, Merab Mikeladze, in an interview with “Business Partner.” Mikeladze stated that their colored stained-glass windows from Adjara have already been exported to various countries such as the Netherlands, the USA, France, and the Baltic countries.
“At this stage, we operate in Batumi, where we own the enterprise. We sell our products all over Georgia. We have orders from all regions of the country. Foreigners were also interested in our stained glass windows, and we exported them as well.”
Mikeladze mentioned that while there are many stained-glass window manufacturers in international markets, the Georgian vision and ornaments have caught the interest of customers. Additionally, their relatively low prices contribute to the high demand.
Based on the increased orders from abroad, Art Glass Studio plans to expand its operations and hire more staff. Mikeladze explained, “Currently, with the human resources we have, and the increase in orders, we need to announce vacancies and add employees. We work mostly by hand, so we need new strength to absorb the demand in local and foreign markets.”
According to Mikeladze, Art Glass Studio is capable of fulfilling any type of order, and they also produce a small part of stained glass in series.
“Stained glass windows are very popular all over the world. Here in Georgia, we laid the foundation for the production of this product. Today, there are already other manufacturers, mostly amateurs, however, as far as I know, apart from us, no other large enterprise operates in this direction. In Art Glass Studio, we create the design and then the product by ourselves. We import raw materials from Turkey and Great Britain, because the raw materials necessary for the production of stained-glass windows are not available in the local market,” Mikeladze told Business Partner.
Regarding pricing, Mikeladze mentioned that stained glass is highly valued as an art form, and the minimum price for 1 square meter starts from 900 GEL. The prices vary based on different technologies used in the production process, but it generally falls within the high price segment.
Art Glass Studio was founded by Merab Mikeladze around 10-15 years ago, initially starting with small-scale production. In 2018, the company received a grant of 20,000 GEL from the “Made in Georgia” agency, which allowed them to purchase a stained-glass contour machine, improving and streamlining their production process. Currently, Art Glass Studio’s activities primarily include artistic stained glass, tiffany, and engraving.
By Mariam Gorkhelashvili
