The Washington Inquirer EditorWith the best combination of taste and quality, Italian olive oil brand Basso has quickly established itself on the Georgian market and even become the favorite product of Georgian consumers.
Basso produces olive oils in the heart of Italy, and has been bringing all the excellence of Italian oil to Georgian customers. They are thankful to a Georgian company BMS, the importer and distributor of Basso for successful partnership.
Being the favorite olive oil of customers is also reflected in sales figures — sales of Basso increased by 30% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Tamar Kaladze, Head of Marketing Department at BMC, sat down with Golden Brand to introduce BMS to our readers and share the success story of Basso in Georgia.
Q. Basso has become Georgian customers’ favorite olive oil. What has determined the brand’s success in Georgia, in your opinion?
A. Before entering the market, our company conducted a consumer survey on what information they had about olive oil in general and its beneficial properties. As the research showed, in most cases knowledge was general. So we took it as a strategy to promote not only the brand Basso, but also olive oil. Not only Basso’s popularity is increasing year by year, but also interest in and consumption of olive oil in general.
The Georgian market is saturated with both olive and other grains oils. Establishing a place on the market was not so easy at first, but we managed to do it.
We try to explain to consumers the advantages of Basso olive oil over its competitors through various channels, teaching them how to recognize genuine, cold-pressed olive oil. Our work has paid off and now many olive oil is associated with Basso. We are still looking for ways to develop the brand and the niche.
Q. You highlighted Basso’s advantages over its competitors. Please give us other reasons that make Basso an outstanding olive oil.
A. The secret of Basso’s success is its high quality.
The fats in cold-pressed olive oil are indispensable to human health. Basso product is not only olive oils, but also sunflower, corn, grapeseed and other useful grains oils.
Basso has been producing the highest quality olive oil for 120 years from the best varieties of olives, which includes 20 production lines. The entire process, including bottle production and label production, is carried out in one factory, so the quality of the product is not affected by external factors. The oil is produced using modern technology, where all Euro standards are observed. The brand has the highest quality certificates — HACCP, ISO, BRC, IFS, EMAS, Kosher, Halal, and others.
Georgian company BMS has been engaged not only in distribution but also in marketing campaigns for promoting Basso in Georgia for more than four years.
Basso has a brand manager in Georgia who, in agreement with the company, takes care of the development of the brand in our country.
Q. Please introduce us to BMS and other brands imported and distributed by the company to Georgia.
A. BMS has been operating for more than 20 years, since 2002. Our company carries out import, distribution and marketing of different products. BMS covers the whole of Georgia, and we are represented in all chain supermarkets. The head office is located in Tbilisi, regional offices are in Kutaisi and Batumi. We also have warehouses in five cities of Georgia.
BMS achieved its success step by step with a lot of work and dedication. BMS was slowly becoming an attractive company as an employer and as a reliable partner for suppliers. Today, the company employs about 230 people.
The company started by importing two or three pallets of each brand and now these brands are so popular in Georgia that they are supplied by containers every month. I will also say that enriching our portfolio with quality products is the main strategy of our company.
Our attitude to quality will not change in the future either, because it is part of our vision! We pay a lot of attention to market research, competitive analysis, and only after that do we make a decision to introduce a new brand to the market. The brand we will deal with must have the potential to become a top brand.
One of the turning points for our company was the flood of 2015, which significantly damaged the company, and we lost almost 80% of our stock. You remember that deadly flash flood that turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in decades. But the team rallied around each other and through hard work we got through it, and even better than before.
Q. Please tell us about the first BMS products offered in Georgia.
A. The first brand that BMS offered to Georgian consumers was the British razor brand Wilkinson Sword, which was soon added to the German brand Werner & Mertz, owner of the pioneering brand of environmentally friendly detergents, Frosch.
The W&M portfolio also includes the floor care products of Emsal and shoes care products of Erdal. They were followed by German home care brand Vileda. I would single out Basso, Reggia and Trolli from the food category.
Today BMS distributes more than 20 brands of up to 500 products in the area of both food and non food.
