Puffing up pillows in rural Georgia – how a local business took off with EU support

Over two years ago, Tamar Dolidze, a kindergarten director from the village of Amaghleba in Ozurgeti region, Western Georgia set on a mission – to start a business that would meet local demand and be something she could manage on her own. She had noticed that many visitors to her region often complained about the worn-out pillows in local guesthouses and hotels.

That was her sign to start a pillow renewing company and name it ‘Ghunghula’, which in Georgian means ‘soft’.

“I haven’t stopped since then,” Dolidze explained. “Orders keep coming in.”

Once she settled on the idea, she began searching for the right equipment and eventually found a specialised machine. But the high price was an issue.

Fortunately, a local non-governmental organisation, Women-for-Women, helped her become involved in the project Catalysing Economic and Social Life (CESL), which is funded by the European Union as a component of the EU4Business initiative under the EU4ITD and the German government, and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). With the project’s support, Dolidze bought the feather quilling machine, sewing machine, and iron. Her business was flooded with orders from local residents.

“We’ve been working for less than a year and have already renewed 4,000 pillows,” she said.

The CESL project aims to enhance the income sources of people in four regions of Georgia (Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti). This initiative will help to reduce migration to the capital, Tbilisi, and encourage more people to remain in or move to these regions.

The special machine that Dolidze bought with the project’s support is used to clean pillows. When customers bring in an old pillow, the staff opens it, and the feathers are placed into a machine. This machine, equipped with a laser device, blows strong air to inflate the pillow, separating the waste and dust. The cleaned feathers are then transferred into the newly sewn fabric.

With the project’s support, Dolidze also learned how to manage and develop her business. Her vision goes beyond pillow renewing – she plans to transform her house with a picturesque view into a guesthouse. She might even incorporate her pillow-renewing service into the guesthouse experience, allowing visitors to witness the process firsthand or even offering them freshly rejuvenated pillows for added comfort during their stay.

“I could set up a pillow-renewing workshop for guests, offering them a truly unique experience — one they wouldn’t find anywhere else in Georgia,” said Tamar Dolidze.

The article was published by EU4Business initiative

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