With funding from the European Union under its EU4Business initiative, EBRD Advice for Small Businesses team helped an animal feed producing company in Georgia introduce quality management system to further foster food safety standards and increase competitiveness at home and abroad.
Nutrimax is a Georgian company nestled in the capital and which specialises in producing domestic animal feeds. With a sound distribution network and annual output of 50,000 tons, the company serves the needs of the small, medium and large size farmers across the country. In 2016, Nutrimax opened a modern high-technology feed production facility and laboratory where customers can test the quality of animal feed and based on results can formulate feed ratios.
“Feeding directly impacts growth rate, production capacity and health status and is foundation for successful and sustainable farming“ says Salome Lebanidze, Quality Manager, “We are happy that we have a loyal client base among farmers and good partners from Europe who share our vision and we want to continue delivering high quality products.”
In order to further solidify company position on the local market and meet legal requirements, the company decided to introduce ISO 22000:2005 standard to harmonise with international and national standards, identify and control potential safety hazards. Within our joint project, the consultant helped the company to:
- develop tools and introduce statistical methods to maintain and control quality;
- improve quality management by identifying errors and opportunities to improve;
- train and raise awareness of the staff on food safety;
- prepare necessary documentation for certification.
As a result of hard work and dedication, the company was certified and its journey of growth continues. Nutrimax increased exports to Armenia and has an eye to expand to Azerbaijan too. The company turnover and labour productivity increased by 24 % and 15% respectively.