From a test cake to a thriving business

“Every summer, we would come back here for holidays, and I always looked forward to it. That love for Racha inspired me to start thinking about returning when I was 26,” recalls 35-year-old Naniko Iaralishvili, owner of the “Nita” café-pastry shop in Oni, a small town in Georgia’s mountainous Racha region.

Today, Naniko lives in Oni with her husband and 8-year-old son and runs a business that has become a well-known gathering place in the community. Earlier this year, her café hosted a series of trainings on violence against women and domestic violence, digital safety, disinformation and artificial intelligence, as well as financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Alongside other local women, Naniko actively participated in the sessions herself.

Naniko was only 4 years old when her family moved from Racha to Tbilisi. Despite relocating, they never lost their connection to their native region.

Her journey back to Racha began with a job opportunity. After graduating from Ilia State University with a degree in business administration and banking, she successfully applied for a cashier-operator position in Oni and made the decision to return.

“My parents were not particularly happy about it,” Naniko says. “My mother used to tell me that everyday life in the mountains was difficult and that I would struggle. In the end, though, she returned here herself.”

Shortly after moving to Oni, Naniko got married. While expecting her son, she asked her mother, a pastry chef, to bake a cake that they could try selling in a local shop. The response exceeded all expectations.

“We only had a small oven and a hand mixer. That was how the story of ‘Nita’ began,” she recalls.

What started as a simple experiment gradually evolved into a business. With support from local and international donor-funded grant programmes, the family first established their own pastry shop and later expanded into a café. Naniko eventually left her banking career behind and joined her mother in developing the business.

“These grants were like small sparks that helped us grow and brought us to where we are today. I hope opportunities like these will continue to exist,” she says.

Two years ago, Naniko’s mother passed away tragically. Today, Naniko manages the business on her own. She says that the loyalty of her customers and the desire to continue the path she started with her mother motivated her to keep going.

Alongside running the café, Naniko also pursues her passion for handicrafts. In a workshop in her garden, she creates handmade accessories under the brand “Nanarton”. Many of her creations incorporate flowers native to Racha, allowing visitors to take home a small piece of the region’s natural beauty and cultural identity.

Knowledge-sharing and solidarity to empower women entrepreneurs

Naniko is among the women who participated in financial literacy and entrepreneurship trainings organized by UN Women in February 2026. Through the sessions, participants acquired practical skills in business planning, pitching ideas, budgeting, identifying costs, calculating profits and losses, market segmentation, and customer analysis.

The trainings were implemented in partnership with the New Thinking Institute, Georgian Media Group, the Charity Humanitarian Women’s Fund “Sukhumi”, and Fund “Abkhazintercont”. In total, nearly 500 women from the regions of Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Imereti, and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti received training on financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Notably, the training sessions held in Oni took place at Naniko’s café, giving her an opportunity to participate as both the host and a beneficiary.

“I learned many details that I did not know before,” Naniko reflects, “for example, how to calculate costs and profits and how to plan for the year ahead. It was also valuable to discuss new opportunities. I realized that the everyday work taking place in my pastry shop and kitchen could be transformed into a special visitor experience and an additional source of income. Being exposed to these kinds of ideas is incredibly valuable.”

The importance of such initiatives is reflected in broader research findings. According to the study ‘Access to Financial Resources for Women Entrepreneurs in Georgia: Challenges and Opportunities’, conducted by the Institute of Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA) with the support of UN Women and the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation (DSIK), access to finance remains a significant challenge for women entrepreneurs in Georgia. Limited financial literacy is among the factors contributing to this barrier.

The issue also emerged during consultations conducted by UN Women and UNDP in 2025 across Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Kvemo Kartli, and Shida Kartli to identify local priorities and needs. More than 120 representatives of local civil society organizations and community leaders participated in the discussions, where financial literacy was consistently highlighted as a key factor affecting women’s entrepreneurship and economic opportunities.

In response to these identified needs, the project sought to equip women with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial decisions, strengthen their businesses and improve their economic resilience.

“For women entrepreneurs, sharing financial and professional knowledge, as well as showing solidarity, is extremely important,” says Naniko. “Whenever I have the time and opportunity, I also try to teach others. I regularly organize masterclasses for local women and help them learn how to create handmade accessories themselves.”

Implemented from September 2025 through March 2026, the “Civic Engagement for Local Development” project supported local development priorities while strengthening civic participation and dialogue. Through close cooperation with civil society organizations across the regions, UN Women contributed to strengthening their capacities and supporting their continued role in advancing local development and improving the lives of people in their communities.