The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in November 2016 stood at 3.46 GEL, which is 1.9% higher month-on-month (compared to October 2016). The upward trend in the Index at this time of the year is expected and largely related to the seasonal increase in the price of cheese. Reasons for this seasonal price swing can be summed up as follows: supply and demand.
Back in October 2015, a team of ISET researchers visited Charity House Catharsis to donate food on World Food Day, celebrated around the globe on October 16th. Catharsis was founded in 1990 and provides daily dinner to 310 elderly in need. Although the major function of the charity house is to provide food, Catharsis also offers other services like medical assistance, a relaxation room, chapel, rehabilitation hall, library, and café.
On December 13-16, APRC's Davit Zhorzholiani participated in an Inter-Alliance Workshop in Yerevan organized by Oxfam in the South Caucasus. Approximately 50 people from Georgia, Armenia, Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Lebanon attended the workshop, which was rich with intensive training, presentations, panel discussions, group works, and more.
On December 16, in cooperation with MOLI, ISET organized a dialogue on “The Role of Leaders in Modernizing Georgian Agriculture”. The MOLI (Market Opportunities for Livelihood Improvement) project is implemented by the HEKS/EPER office in South Caucasus with the support of the Swiss Government.
On December 15, 2016, Dr. Natalia Velikova, Associate Professor at Texas Tech University (TTU), held a lecture on Focus Group Discussions for the researchers of ISET-PI. Natalia is an Associate Director of the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute. Currently, she is a Fulbright scholar in Tbilisi and works on the Development of Wine Marketing and Wine Tourism Strategies for Georgia.