Quality is a top priority for TBC partner linen and textile cleaning company Win Wei

The hotel industry in Georgia is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing sectors. According to official statistics, up to 5 million foreigners and locals use hotels in the country throughout the year, and the number of hotels or hotel-like establishments is as high as 3,000. Hotel-related businesses are also developing rapidly, following the pace of the entire industry. High-quality and appropriate services in hotel laundry and dry cleaning services are one of the most important factors, which determine the smooth operation of the entire sector.

The company “Vin Wei” was founded a few months ago and provides cleaning services for bed linens and textiles for hotels. The company is new, but for one of the founders, Ekaterine Devdariani, and her partner, Nana Katsadze, this is not the first business.

“I am a lawyer by profession, I work in this field, and at the same time I manage several businesses – I deal in transport and buying and renting real estate. Nana is an economist, although at this stage he manages several businesses. My partner and I became interested in the hotel sector because a friend (the owner of Kakheti Holiday Inn) suggested that we create such a company, since there were no similar services in the Kakheti region. We liked the idea and immediately began to study the market and learn the details of the business.”

The company soon acquired industrial equipment made in Turkey – washing machines, dryers, dry cleaning machines, irons and related auxiliary equipment.

“We needed a bank loan to buy the machines. I had never dealt with a business loan before. To be honest, I was skeptical about TBC Bank at first, but then I learned about business loans and decided to give it a try. That’s how my relationship with TBC and my attitude towards banks began – I realized that I found myself in a great team and with excellent experts.”

With these equipment, the company’s production will reach 30 tons per month. The business is oriented to cooperation with large and medium-sized hotels. Cooperation with hotels with less than 40 rooms is not profitable due to the size of the facilities.

Initially, Win Way planned to serve only the Kakheti region, but eventually, after a detailed study of the market, it was decided to move operations to Tbilisi, to a part of the city, depending on local conditions. Depending on the need, it will be possible to easily serve the Kakheti region as well.

Like all businesses, Yingwei encountered many difficulties in its creation and establishment.

“The business requires additional capital and additional technical issues need to be resolved, which has hindered full operations for a short period of time. For example, multiple types of transportation are required to conduct business. Relatively small-capacity transportation and large-capacity trucks can serve large hotels. In addition, more accessories are available for purchase. Now we are at this stage.”

Large companies operating in this field on the market have large turnovers, which often compromise quality. Yingwei sees its advantage here – quality is the company’s top priority, and the size of a startup is a means to maintain quality, and therefore an advantage.