Cooperatives strengthen businesses and friendships

An agricultural cooperative will not only bring economic benefit to a country but it can also save a long-time friendship.

When two women from Abasha in western Georgia gathered their passports before planning to illegally immigrate to Europe due to ongoing financial difficulties, their friends came up with the novel idea to create a cooperative and use the financial assistance of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) to develop their business idea.

The five women jointly created a 'Vardi-2014' (Rose-2014) cooperative and started up their own flower business, which would improve their families’ financial situation and at the same time give them a chance to continue their daily relationships.

Roses grown at the Vardi-2014 cooperative. Photos by ENPARD.

The idea stemmed from the fact that one of the members of the cooperative had an old derelict greenhouse measuring 240m2 in her garden, which could be renewed and made functional - but they needed money to do this.

"We have gone through difficult times together and we proved that we can support each other to the end. Recently two of our friends decided to take the path of illegal emigration due to financial constraints. This was one more additional factor that motivated us to start our own business,” said cooperative member Leila Chochia.

None of the five women had any previous business experience and they all had different backgrounds but they used their skills to run the business jointly. 

Currently the members of the Vardi-2014 cooperative are working to grow their roses. They envision their first sales will begin in September. In the future they also plan to open their own flower shop in the centre of Abasha township.

The women of the Vardi-2014 cooperative work on growing their rose bushes. Photo by ENPARD.

The five women benefited from the ENPARD grant and its regional partner Care International, with which they were able to renovate the greenhouse and purchase 500 rose plants.

"We will do our best to insure that successful management is the main driving force for our business: all our decisions should be well-thought out in advance. We look at the wider picture, and have long-lasting plans. We will also try to be flexible; this will help us to maintain our position in the changing environment. Focusing on the possibilities will help us to turn our weaknesses into strengths, which is extremely important in the long run,” the cooperative members noted.