The key to taking advantage of the growing opportunities to achieve economic prosperity and sustainable development of the economy is having a modern approach to business. This first and foremost means aiming in your business activities to protect and cause no harm to the environment, and working toward stable regional development that ultimately benefits the entire country.
The topic of proper and smart land management is a hot one in Georgia today, and with that in mind, we sat down with experienced businessman and economist Giorgi Begadze, author of the Bega Projects.
“The diversity that characterizes our country is a significant advantage, but so far we have been unable to take full advantage of it, or we use it incorrectly,” Begadze says.
“Regions have a good opportunity for development and, most importantly, should be the best examples of sustainable development. Municipalities should do their utmost to support investors and project initiators who enhance the sustainability of cultural heritage or natural resources in parallel with business projects,” he tells us.
“Our team promotes exactly such projects for those who want to implement new, modern, attractive and sustainable projects. We’re always open to new relationships in this direction- not to fulfil a commercial goal, but to fulfill the desires of all those who want their country to develop properly and for the regions to become oases of modern, cultural, traditional, eco or agro settlements.
We are currently implementing two projects, with more already in the pipeline.
The first is the ethno settlement project “Winevillage” in Kvareli. It boasts 4.5 hectares in the Kindzmarauli (vine) zone, in a unique, exotic environment.
The second one is Ecovilla, also a unique location, near Tbilisi.
The third project is at the preparation stage, and we’re keeping it under our hats for now.
What was the main idea behind your businesses?
It all started with an idea that came to me a long time ago – to make a synthesis of modern settlements, culture and traditions. Naturally, in a country with 8000 years of wine culture, this would be related to wine… So we started thinking about a “wine” village.
My two partners and sons, Giorgi and Nikoloz, and I started sketching out the first idea and sharing thoughts. I went to find a suitable piece of land and wrote a concept, Giorgi started to study the relevant programs for architectural planning, photo-video visualization and digitalization of the project, while Nikoloz became European Champion in boxing and was able to buy the first piece of land with the prize received. And so it all began….
Tell us more about your projects.
Winevillage is a closed settlement which anyone can buy a piece of land and build an ethno house in. There, they can produce their own wine from a vineyard already planted, in brick cellars which, if they wish, they can rent out to guests. We decided to arrange a recreational square in the middle, where we will organize wine and ethno-themed exhibitions and festivals, and add a pool so that residents can cool off in the hot sun of Kakheti. We discovered ancient clay pots in the area and we will have a space where guests can discover this piece of ancient history. Communications (electricity, gas) are located underground, and the amazing views of the mountains and vineyards are further beautified by the tiled houses built there.
The second ambitious project, Ecovilla, is related to creating a real eco environment for residential settlements. The concept aims to create a high-class, comfortable, safe and sustainable environment that offers the possibility of a harmonious, healthy coexistence with nature.
Communications are also arranged underground in this case, as we aim to take maximum care of the environment, and we have plans to plant much more greenery.
The streets in Ecovilla is already lit by solar lights, solar panels will be installed on the roofs of all houses, chargers for electric cars will be installed, owners will have the opportunity to receive eco products at home, we will have a rainwater management system, mini greenhouses, eco septic tanks, yoga and relaxation areas.
What are your future plans?
We plan to negotiate with the state for the purchase of nearby land and to make additional investments for environmental and sustainable development purposes, such as the creation of a solar panel system, electric vehicle charging and flying electric transport parking infrastructure.
Our priority is the sustainable development goals. We have a lot of vision, and our upcoming projects are set to be very interesting. Landowners contact us wanting to find the advantage in their lands, and then we jointly create a concept and give the project a visual form for further implementation.
Interview by Ana Dumbadze
