Ambassador Tefft and Mrs. Tefft
Tour Newly ISO-Certified Hazelnut Factory
On February 10, 2006, Ambassador and Mrs. Tefft attended a
certification ceremony at Hazelnut Factory LTD. Following the
ceremony they toured the company’s production facilities with
other invited guests and local media.
Hazelnut Factory LTD is one of the first Georgian food processing
companies to acquire an International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) 9001:2000 Certificate. Obtained with assistance from the
USAID-supported AgVantage project, the ISO Certificate indicates
that Hazelnut Factory LTD has developed a quality management
system that meets international standards. This will increase
productivity and profitability and make Hazelnut Factory LTD
products more attractive on the world market, especially opening
the doors to greater European distribution.
Shota Bukhaidze, Executive Director of Hazelnut Factory Ltd,
opened the ceremony by thanking USAID, AgVANTAGE and Bureau
Veritas Quality International (BVQI) for their roles in securing
the ISO Certificate. Ambassador Tefft gave a congratulatory
address, pointing out that “obtaining an ISO 9001:2000 Certificate
is a big deal. It opens the door to new markets and new opportunities.”
Ambassador Tefft added “I’m very happy that the U.S. Government
could provide assistance through USAID and AgVANTAGE in this
regard. It’s important to this company and its employees, it’s
important to the 1700 farmers who benefit from it, and it’s
important for Georgia’s economy.” It is estimated that the ISO
Certificate and the procedures it verifies will increase the
value of Hazelnut Factory LTD’s product by 10 to 12 percent.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Mr. Mirian Dekanoidze, Georgia’s
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Severian Gvinepadze, National
Program Director of Business Advisory Services, Alexander Sumagin,
representative of the auditing company, Bureau Veritas Quality
International (BVQI), that awarded the ISO 9001:2000 Certificate,
and Richard Hurelbrink, Chief of Party for AgVANTAGE. “I want
to recognize the commitment and dedication of the management
and staff of this company that we had during this full preparation
process, they truly recognize the opportunities existing in
international markets for adding value to their products,” Hurelbrink
remarked to ceremony guests.
Established in 2001, Hazelnut Factory Ltd. is one of the five
largest companies producing hazelnut kernels in Georgia and
currently employs 180 workers. HF purchases about 2000 tones
of in-shell hazelnuts per year. Currently, almost 95% of Georgian
hazelnuts are sold in Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Estonia, and Russia.
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