TBC’s cooperative brewery “Naturale Brewery” is the winner of many international awards

“Naturale Brewery” LLC stands out among Georgian breweries that have developed in the local market in recent years. The company’s success is accompanied by international recognition, which is due to the quality and unique products. Just last year, at the London Beer Competition, the company’s beer received a silver medal, its cider a bronze medal, and “Naturale Brewer” cider received a silver medal at the World Cider Awards.

The enterprise was founded in 2016 and has transformed from a hobby into a serious business. Sergo Makarov, director and chief technical expert of the Naturale Brewery, did not study brewing anywhere, but he was always interested in it and constantly consulted the relevant literature.

“From the beginning of the first decades of this century, craft beer began to flourish around the world, the development of ancient recipes. Unlike in other countries, in our country, at the beginning, everyone asked for beer only – they knew only this type. Light and dark beer, filtered and unfiltered. That was all. After a while, curiosity got the better of them, and they began to try other beers. Today, we can already say that the craft beer culture is well established in our country. We started production with a one-liter brewer. At first, as an individual, I received a consumer loan from TBC Bank, 3-4 years ago I received a mini-business loan and we added equipment. This year, I took another loan to increase production – we have bought a 500-liter boiler. We have beers that are created and brewed only by us. For example, we add Maghrian adjika to tomato beer. We also have Tkemli beer and Tkemli sauce. These beers are unique to us and are especially suitable for Georgian cuisine and Georgian flavors.”

The “Naturale Brewery” produces about 10 types of beer and 6 types of cider at the same time.

“We brew about 35 beers in total, but we rotate them constantly. Today, we brew about 5-6 tons of beer per month. Once the equipment arrives, we will be cooking 10-12 tons per month. So far, we have representatives only throughout Georgia. When we have a new brewery and new fermentation tanks, we can think about exporting. There has already been interest from the UK and Poland.”

Cider, which the company produces alongside beer, is a relatively new beverage on the Georgian market. And for good reason.

“The excise tax on cider was high. Only three years ago, something changed, the excise tax became cheaper, and cider production became possible. We use old varieties of apples – Antonovka, Brodsky, Kekhura… Last year we bought a half-hectare of land, where we grow special varieties needed for cider. Cider is a low-grade drink, so it competes with beer, not with wine. Not everyone can drink beer, since it contains gluten, but low-grade cider is a good alternative, especially in summer. For example, in addition to apples, we also produce cherry and grapefruit ciders.”

Currently, the brewery supplies bars and beer shops in Tbilisi and Batumi. In addition, the company has its own bar at Asatiani 30 and a store at Nutsubidze 115. In recent years, especially after the pandemic, the industry has developed significantly and competition has intensified.

“The competition is mainly with the big producers. They produce beer in larger quantities, so it’s cheaper, and besides, they usually sell it only in pubs. Recently, however, pubs have been convinced that this approach is wrong. It’s unprofitable when consumers are forced to drink only one kind of beer – lager. Many pubs have opened and competition between them is fierce. We win with variety and quality. We are trying to add new varieties that were not available on the market before. In my opinion, variety is always an advantage.”