In the middle of a sunlit vineyard in Kvareli, in Georgia's Kakheti region, stands Akido — a cosy wooden cottage with views of the mountains. For 31-year-old Mariam Iashvili, it's more than a guesthouse; it's the fulfilment of her late father's dream. With years of experience in tourism and a deep love for her family's land, Mariam built the cottage to honour his memory and welcome travellers from around the world.
"It was my father's wish to build the cottage in our vineyard, so that visitors could be close to nature," she remembers.
Building Back Better
Mariam Iashvili and her family have been running a guesthouse in Kvareli for the past 10 years. Over this period, most of their guests showed interest in one thing: wine. Kakheti, after all, is Georgia's most renowned wine region — the heartland of the world's oldest winemaking tradition, dating back 8,000 years.
When the pandemic hit, their business was dealt a heavy blow, and they faced serious challenges. Luckily, Iashvili got financial support from Accelerated Rural Development in the Imereti and Kakheti project, financed within the framework of the fourth phase of the EU's 'European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development' (ENPARD IV) under the EU4Business initiative. With 54,000 Lari (€17,000) they got, her family built an "A-frame" cottage — a triangle-shaped structure made of eco-friendly wood, designed to blend naturally into the vineyard landscape.
This project aims to support sustainable rural development by identifying the needs of local communities in target regions. It focuses on promoting tourism and agricultural value chains, enhancing vocational skills and competencies for rural populations, and strengthening overall development in these areas.
Peace Among the Vines
Akido opened its doors this year, and the summer was packed with guests. The name works beautifully in two languages: in Japanese, Aikido means "peace," while in Georgian, it's a short-trimmed vine branch bearing two grape clusters. And the cottage lives up to both meanings — it's a quiet refuge for anyone wanting to escape the rush of everyday life.
Mornings here start with the smell of ripe grapes drifting through the window. Breakfast is served right in the vineyard, and evenings are for stargazing. But Akido isn't just a place to sleep — guests get their hands dirty harvesting grapes, crushing them into wine, and tasting what they've made, all in the same day.
For the Iashvili family, Akido is only the start. They're already planning more cottages and a wine cellar right there in the vineyard, so more people can discover what makes Kakheti so special.
Iashvili has also been running an organic dried fruit business for the past seven years. Now, with the new eco-cottage attracting wine tourists to her guesthouse, she hopes these two ventures will strengthen each other — and finally enable her to break into export markets.
Mariam Iashvili is just one of the entrepreneurs financed. In 2024 alone, EU4Business supported 40,801 small and medium enterprises in Georgia. To learn more about how EU4Business is helping entrepreneurs, you can visit the website.
