Strategic Report Strategic Report Strategic Report Financial Additional Overview Strategy Performance Governance Statements Information Case studies: supporting Georgian businesses Urban Greens Urban Greens is a Georgian greenhouse and a micro greens specialist. Micro greens are grown for everyday household consumption and for fine dining restaurants that use micro greens as ingredients or as visual component. The young founders of the greenhouse associate Urban Greens with a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and are committed to using the best quality seeds and a clean environment to grow their greens. The greenhouse was founded in 2015, initially as an experiment and was so well received that by the end of 2018, Urban Greens already delivered its products not only in Tbilisi, but also in several other Georgian cities, including Batumi. Urban Greens was built on just 15 hectares of land but a rapidly increasing demand for its greens from professional chefs and households enabled the company to quickly expand to 150 hectares nearby Tbilisi. The mission of Urban Greens is a swift delivery of its fresh and high-quality products. Bank of Georgia supported Urban Greens with GEL 20,000 to finance its working capital at the time of the farm’s expansion. Financing young entrepreneurs with brilliant business ideas is what Bank of Georgia is passionate about and the Bank continues to be a helping hand to prospective small businesses. Schuchmann Wines Georgia Schuchmann Wines Georgia (SWG) was founded in 2008 in the very centre of the Georgian wine growing region, Kisiskhevi, Kakheti, Georgia’s Eastern region. SWG produces wines out of three distinct vineyard sites: Napareuli, Tsinandali, Kindzmarauli. Their flagship wines – Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Kindzmarauli, Mtsvane and the Cabernet Sauvignon – are produced from indigenous grape varieties cultivated in specific micro zones of Kakheti at the winery location. Most of SWG’s wines are exported and have won numerous awards for their quality and uniqueness. The company owns the vineyards and runs a state-of-the-art production line. Bank of Georgia’s first support to SWG totalled GEL 725,000 and was aimed at wine production. SWG also operates a spa-hotel in the village of Kisiskhevi. Recently, Bank of Georgia financed SWG’s new enterprise Schuchmann Real Estate with GEL 2 million. The purpose of the loan was to fund the construction of cottages around the spa-hotel’s territory. Winemaking is Georgia’s identity card and an important cultural heritage, as well as a touristic gem. Bank of Georgia takes pride in financing such an important sector in the Georgian economy. Annual Report 2018Bank of Georgia Group PLC 33