A culinary journey and collection of stories in support of women entrepreneurs

UN Women, with the help of the Government of Norway, has been working towards the economic empowerment of rural women for more than 10 years now and is implementing new, innovative initiatives to achieve this goal.

It was this constant search for innovative approaches that gave rise to the idea of preparing a culinary travel guide that combines new tourist routes with the stories of rural women employed in agritourism and the recipes of dishes they prepare. It is worth noting that the private sector was also involved in the implementation of the project, particularly Terabank, a signatory of the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles, and that the publication of this collection - “A Culinary Journey with Women Entrepreneurs”- was prepared with its support.

This collection describes the stories of 10 women and their wonderful agritourism facilities. The activities of the hostesses are conveyed by the notes of the writer Ekaterine Togonidze and the photos of Leli Blagonravova. Each story is accompanied by the recipes of the women’s signature dishes and their interpretations by Chef Meriko Gubeladze. It was according to these recipes that the heroes of the guide prepared the dishes at the presentation of the collection, which took place in Kakheti at one of the agritourism facilities, “Lost Ridge”. Representatives of UN Women and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Georgia Helene Sand Andresen attended the event.

“Your impact as rural women entrepreneurs is even more important,” remarked Ms. Andresen in her welcoming speech. “Not only are you creating jobs and opportunities, but you are also serving as role models for rural women and girls. I’m sure a lot of women are looking at you and saying, ‘If she can run a business, then I can also do the same.”

It should be noted that the collection allows readers to discover new agritourism facilities and promotes the activities of women entrepreneurs.

One of the heroes, Tako Zhuruli, who heads the “Zhuka-Sano” winery in the village of Ruispiri in Kakheti, drew attention to this very factor: “Small family farms, no matter how successful they are, still need support and attention. It is important that someone speaks about them [and] tells and shares their stories with others. I think that this collection is so necessary, relevant and timely, because it can introduce numerous entrepreneurial women to society - to encourage us and to create a way for us to move forward.”

It is remarkable that the heroes of the publication are among the 100 women who were selected from all over Georgia for the programme organized by UN Women and the Georgian Farmers’ Association, first undergoing professional training and then taking part in the grant competition. The initiative is part of the Women’s Economic Empowerment component of the project “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia”, which is implemented by UN Women with the support of the Norwegian Government.