Teamania is a boutique network of tea, coffee, sweets and tea accessories, which has been present in Georgia since 2006. He is the official representative of the world-famous brand Desthlefen & Balk (since 1836) in Transcaucasia. D & B itself has been producing high-quality tea and various products since 1836 and is highly trusted in the world market.
In “Teamania” chain, you will find more than 100 types of tea, which customers can choose according to their taste. In addition to tea, you will find a variety of high-quality South American and African coffees on the counters of Teamania, which can be purchased along with the offered sweets and decorative, sophisticated tableware.
In order to provide quality products and services, “Teamania” has been steadily developing in the Georgian market for years. In 2019, it became a portfolio company of investment company Synergy Capital.
Its founder, Eka Verulashvili, spoke to Entrepreneur about how it started and developed, what challenges it faces and how it continues to advance despite the economic crisis caused by the epidemic.
How would you evaluate the past 14 years – what was the starting point of “Teamania” and where is the company now?
“The starting point of Teamania was 1 shop and only an assortment of imported teas. And now, we already have 8 stores and also an online store; We have added coffee, dishes and Georgian products to the assortment of tea. So, I think we passed these years normally, despite many difficulties.”
The turning point of the company’s development was in 2008, when we started correspondence with a German company. To our surprise, even though Dethlefsen & Balk is one of the largest tea and coffee distributors in the world, we were able to interest them. The director of the company himself came to Georgia to see our country and meet us personally. Today, Dethlefsen & Balk is the exclusive supplier of Teamania in Transcaucasia.
Last year we exported 4 types of Georgian tea to Germany and we have many more plans ahead. The main thing is that we want tea to become a very popular drink and overtake coffee sales. Therefore, we are actively working on the promotion of tea. Also, we want to increase.