June is the time of the year when the Khachapuri Index reaches the lowest point in its annual cycle. The supply of fresh milk a key input in the production of Imeretian cheese reaches its seasonal peak a few months earlier, in March and April. The prices of cheese, while declining in a continuous fashion from January onward, bottom out with a lag of two-three months, by June or July.
In June of 2015, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri fell to 2.85GEL, which is 1% lower month-on-month (compared to May 2015), and 0.8% higher year-on-year (compared to June 2014). As we can see from the chart, the Index already started gaining in value in Western Georgia (up by 4.5 and 6.1% in Kutaisi and Batumi, respectively) while still decreasing in the East (down by 8.6 and 4.2% in Telavi and Tbilisi, respectively).
With the high season in tourism approaching in July and August, the Khachapuri Index will continue increasing in Batumi (and elsewhere along Georgia's Black Sea coast), due to a combination of factors including both lower supply of cheese and higher demand for khachapuri and other traditional Georgian delicacies.