In Georgia's Kakheti region, renowned for its exceptional, one-of-a-kind Saperavi wines, farmers grow more than just wine grapes. The area also produces various types of stone fruit. Last year, with a harvest of 25,300 tons, Kakheti accounted for 66% of Georgia's total peach yield. Bachuki Ruadze runs a tree nursery in the region, supplying local growers with young peach, nectarine, cherry, and persimmon plants.
Bachuki's journey as a nurseryman goes back 45 years, to the final decade of the Soviet era. "Back then, this area was mostly vineyards and peach orchards," he recalls. "Now, besides walnuts and almonds, you'll find cherries, flat peaches, apricots, nectarines, and even mulberries being grown around Telavi. I was one of the early adopters who helped diversify the crops." Today, in addition to his nursery, Bachuki manages his own stone fruit orchards, yielding around 150 tons annually.
Mulberries have a sweet-and-sour flavor that makes them ideal for eating fresh or turning into jam
"Since the 1990s, we've seen not just local stone fruit varieties, but also imported ones, often with better yields and quality," he explains. "In Soviet times, 20 tons per hectare was the norm; now, some growers are doubling that. Better yields aren't just thanks to improved varieties; smarter fertilization and modern orchard management also play a big part."
The nursery remains Bachuki's most profitable venture. Depending on the species and cultivar, plants sell for between €2 and €8 each. With around 15,000 plants sold annually, that brings in roughly €70,000. "Peach and flat peach trees are more in demand than nectarines," he says. "That's because there's a stronger demand for those varieties from Russia, which is still the primary export market for Georgian fruit growers."
The nursery remains Bachuki's most profitable venture
Mulberries, on the other hand, are almost entirely grown for the domestic market. Georgia has been harvesting an average of 200 tons per year for decades. "I started growing mulberries six years ago," says Bachuki. "Prices vary wildly from season to season. Last year, the crop was light but the quality was high—we fetched an average of €9 per kilo. This year, yields are much higher, but we're only getting €4.50 per kilo."
Mulberries have a sweet-and-sour flavor that makes them ideal for eating fresh or turning into jam. Interestingly, the fruit actually hails from Persia—modern-day Iran—just across the border from Georgia. But have you ever wondered why some mulberries are white, while others are red?
Bachuki started growing mulberries six years ago
The ancient Greeks had an answer for that: a myth. One of the most beautiful versions of the myth was written by the Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses. In fact, it's the very tale that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Pyramus and Thisbe were two young lovers in ancient Babylon, forbidden by their families to marry—or even to speak to each other. Still, their love endured. They found a crack in the wall separating their houses and whispered sweet words through it in secret.
One night, they agreed to meet by a white mulberry tree just outside the city. Thisbe arrived first but was startled by a lioness. In terror, she ran and accidentally dropped her veil. The lioness, fresh from a kill and with blood still on her jaws, found the veil and smeared it with gore.
When Pyramus arrived a short while later, he saw the bloodied veil and the paw prints in the sand. Believing Thisbe had been killed, he fell on his sword in despair. Not long after, Thisbe returned and found him dying beneath the mulberry tree. Grief-stricken, she took the sword from his chest and ended her own life.
The blood of the lovers soaked into the white berries, staining them red—a color they've kept ever since.
For more information:
Bachuki Ruadze
Chumlakhi (Kakheti) - Georgia
Mob: +955 599 727 485