Farmers of Georgia: how small farms live and what to take home

The wine, honey, tea and churchkhela that tourists bring home from Georgia are most often made by a family with a small plot, rather than an agricultural holding. According to the 2024 agricultural census, there are about 479.5 thousand agricultural farms in the country, and there are only 2.8 thousand legal entities among them. Everything else is household stuff: a house, a garden, several rows of grapes, a cow or an apiary.

The income of such a family depends on things that it has almost no influence on. This is worth understanding when choosing what to take away.

One growing number: bees

The census showed a decline in almost all areas - there were a quarter fewer farms than in 2014. But the number of hives over ten years has increased by almost 17%, to 191.5 thousand.

The reason is simple and says more about agriculture than any other number. Honey is well stored, it can be sold directly and does not need to be sold to the factory at someone else's price. Where the farmer has a choice of who to sell to, things do better.

What a small farm struggles with

The price is not set by the farmer

Kakheti winegrowers usually sell not wine, but grapes. The price is determined by the variety, sugar content and how many grapes are on the market this year. Therefore, a good harvest can hit the farmer: in 2025, about 340 thousand tons of grapes were processed in Georgia - the largest harvest in thirty years, and in such years factories accept raw materials under more stringent conditions.

How this turns out can be seen in September 2026. At the height of the ruthveli, winegrowers of the Kvareli municipality took to the road near the villages of Shilda and Akhalsopeli: grapes with a sugar content below 17 brix were accepted at 30 tetri per kilogram, and, according to farmers, this did not even cover the costs of growing and harvesting. On the second day of the protest, the acceptance conditions were revised.

Dependence on one buyer

In 2006, Russia banned the import of Georgian wine, and the market remained closed until 2013. After the embargo was lifted, the dependence returned: in 2024, Russia accounted for about two-thirds of the export revenue of Georgian wine, and in terms of volume more than 70%. In 2025, Russian excise taxes on imported alcohol increased, sales there fell, and the industry again felt this risk.

Poland, China and Germany are buying more and more, but it is almost impossible for a small farm to enter these markets on its own. That’s why direct sales are so important for a small manufacturer: to tourists, to stores, to restaurants.

The village is emptying

According to the 2024 census, the population grew only in Tbilisi, Adjara and Kvemo Kartli. Over ten years, Guria has lost almost 10% of its inhabitants, Racha-Lechkhumi about 7%, and mountainous Khulo about 30%. Young people leave for cities and abroad, farms are supported by the older generation. Those who return usually combine the land with processing or tourism: they make wine, sauces, and receive guests.

Tea: an industry that had to start over

In 1985, Georgia collected 152 thousand tons of tea leaves. By 2014, about 1.8 thousand tons remained - a drop of almost 99%. The plantations were overgrown, the factories were dismantled for metal. Since the end of 2015, the state has been funding the restoration of abandoned sites, and small family-run tea shops have reappeared in western Georgia.

One such plant, from Guria, collects leaves from May to September. The most valuable harvest is in May, it is used for premium tea. The summer leaf is larger, second grade tea is made from it, and it costs less. This is the difference that is not explained on the store shelf.

Why the product of a small farm is different

The main difference is not even exoticism, but that the taste depends on the place. The easiest way to test this is with honey - place several varieties next to each other:

• acacia from Imereti - light and soft;
• chestnut from Racha - dark, with a characteristic bitterness;
• pine from Tori - less sweet, with resinous notes;
• floral from Kakheti - with a classic honey taste;
• cream honey from Javakheti - whipped, spreads like butter.

Comparing five varieties is a good gift idea and the best way to understand how different Georgia tastes.

The second difference is transparency. In a small farm, there are specific people behind the product. CH'VENTAN is a family farm from the village of Mshalgori in Kakheti: on one plot there is a vineyard, a garden and qvevri, wine is made in the same way that UNESCO included in the list of intangible heritage of humanity in 2013. By buying directly, you pay the manufacturer, not a chain of intermediaries.

What to take away from Georgia

• Red dry, Kakheti - small-scale wine, harvest 2025.Spices and sauces- Svan salt, Svaneti - salt with garlic and herbs, for meat, potatoes and vegetables.
• Mingrelian adjika, Samegrelo - spicy pepper paste with herbs, for spicy lovers.
• Tkemali, Kakheti - sour plum sauce for meat, potatoes, chicken.
• Set of spices in a box - a ready-made gift for those who love to cook.Sweet- Kakheti churchkhela - walnuts in thickened grape juice.
• Imeretian churchkhela in a box - with hazelnuts, already packed for a gift.
• Tkemali pastila, Imereti is a sour pastila, it is added to kharcho.

How to get thereLiquids - only in luggage.Honey, tkemali, adjika and wine are considered liquids, and more than 100 ml will not be allowed into hand luggage at most airports. Place cans in a ziplock bag, bottles in clothing or a protective cover.Dry items can be included in hand luggage.Churchkhela, pastila, tea and Svan salt do not require refrigeration. Keep them away from heat.Check the regulations of your destination country before departure.Many countries, including the EU, restrict the import of animal products, and honey is one of them. Limits on alcohol apply separately.

If you are in Tbilisi

We take everything from the list above directly from manufacturers and deliver throughout the city. Ready-made gift options are collected in the section "Hotels from Georgia", history of farms - in the section "Farmers". If you are a producer yourself, tell us about yourself.

Briefly

1. Most of the products that tourists bring from Georgia are made by families, not factories.
2. Their main risks are purchase prices, dependence on one export market and the outflow of people from villages.
3. Taste varies by region: compare several types of honey or wine from different places.
4. Liquids can go in your luggage, dry things can go in your hand luggage.
5. Check the rules for importing products into your country in advance, especially regarding honey and alcohol.Sources: geostat.ge and 1tv.ge (agricultural census 2024); civil.ge and kavkaz-uzel.eu (protest of winegrowers, September 2026); wine-intelligence.com (harvest 2025); factcheck.ge and georgiatoday.ge (wine export); rferl.org and iset-pi.ge (tea industry).