The brand of wooden handicrafts “Hoby” is working on increasing the variety of products and the sales area. “Hoby” founder Nikoloz Gabashvili spoke to BM.GE about this.
According to him, at this stage, the interest comes mainly from middle-aged women, and the most demanded products are birdhouses. In the future, they plan to produce New Year’s accessories and decor.
“The interest mainly comes from women aged 24-60 who have their own gardens and love flowers. I tried several times to socialize. I tried to advertise on the networks aimed at men, but it did not produce the same results, which cannot be said for women. The biggest demand is for birdhouses, which we produce in various shapes and designs. One problem is that birdhouses are a seasonal product, after spring-summer sales will decrease, so we want to diversify the products from autumn and start the production of New Year’s accessories and decor. All this may increase our costs a little, but it is worth it.
Initially, the idea of creating a company appeared years ago, but due to some problems, the startup appeared on the market in October 2022.
“Actually, the idea came up 5-6 years ago, but I couldn’t combine it with work and it didn’t work out. When I started again and noticed that sales increased and the potential was there, I quit my job a few months ago and went full on.”
Speaking, Nikoloz Gabashvili noted that the biggest problem he faced when starting a business was finance. Prices of wood materials did not allow to combine availability and quality in products. In addition, additional funds are needed to find the necessary tools for woodworking.
“Wooden material is quite expensive, and we had to think of a solution in order to maintain the quality of the product and make the price acceptable. I found a solution and I buy the material on the spot (in Georgia), which is more affordable and does not make the products more expensive. Also, for what I am doing now, I have gradually acquired the tools, although there are some tools that will help me increase production, I would do more and maybe with better quality. I know there are grant projects where you can get funding, but I don’t know how much it is for our type of stuff. I think I’ll find out and participate next year.”
“Hoby” products can currently be seen in “Mihouse” and “Gorgia” markets. It is planned to increase the sales area soon.
By Mariam Gorkhelashvili
