Mitrofan Lagidze opens up his own company and starts to manufacture natural syrup based lemonades in Kutaisi. “Mitrofan Lagidze” lemonades, which cost just 20 kopecks per bottle, readily become popular. The success was achieved due to proper marketing: the boys who sold the lemonades ran around the town hawking a single sentence: “If you want to be beautiful, drink “Lagidze waters!”. Who could refuse to buy such a magical drink?

The simple manufacturing line turns into a complete factory, which Mitrofan opens right there in Kutaisi. Lagidze was very peculiar about adhering to the recipes of the drinks and strictly monitored that all the herbs, berries and fruits for the syrups were cultivated in particular areas of Georgia: because the taste of the lemonades depended on it, which meant that their reputation also depended on this.

The time had come to upgrade the lemonade manufacturing to a totally new level. Mitrofan comes to Tbilisi, where he opens a new factory for manufacturing lemonades, as well as the legendary store “Lagidze Waters” on Rustaveli Avenue. The store becomes a really iconic place: in the evenings all of the Georgian intellectuals would gather by the store to converge and quench their thirst with fresh and tasty lemonades.

This is in fact a high time for the “Lemonade Empire” of Mitrofan Lagidze: his drinks were popular beyond the Georgian borders and won awards in the Russian and international exhibitions. Mitrofan collaborates with French advertisement experts, who came up with a simple and unique slogan for Lagidze lemonades: “Ask everywhere, beware if imitations”. The drinks were liked at the highest of places: Mitrofan Lagidze becomes supplier of the Russian Imperial Court, as well as supplying lemonades to the court of the Shah of Iran.

A large scale fire totally destroys Mitrofan Lagidze’s beloved project. However Mitrofan cannot leave the fans of “Lagidze Waters” without their beloved drinks and re-establishes manufacturing in the basement of his own home, where for some years to come he personally prepares syrups and bottles lemonades. In the meanwhile the construction of the new factory takes off.

Sergei Esenin, enchanted by the taste of Lagidze drinks, dedicates the following to them:

Прости, Кавказ, что я о них

Тебе промолвил ненароком,

Ты научи мой русских стих

Кизиловым струиться соком.

The construction of the new factory in Tbilisi is finally finished. The factory was equipped with the latest machinery, Mitrofan Lagidze becomes the director of the factory and restarts the production of goods in huge volumes. Lagidze was really dedicated to his work and worked at full strength. He came to the factory at 7 in the morning every day, was always nicely dressed and polite with all the employees. Except for that Mitrofan Lagidze was a generous man and the more he got the more he gave. Lagidze always helped talented Georgian writers in publishing books and except for that performed really great deed: sponsored the construction of first power plant in Kutaisi.

Mitrofan Lagidze starts the first industrial production of carbon dioxide gas in Georgia.

The famous Tehran Conference became prominent in the history of the “Mitrofan Lagidze” brand. On the table which was shared by Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill stood the bottles of “Lagidze Waters” lemonades, which were, of course tasted by the politicians.
Nobody was left indifferent to the drinks. Franklin Roosevelt was so impressed by the taste and aroma of the lemonades that he took 2000 bottles with him back home. Winston Churchill expressed his impressions of the legendary lemonades in his memoires “Tehran 43”. Stalin was so impressed by the “Lemon” that after his return he readily called Mitrofan to Moscow and contracted him to start regular supply of lemonade to the Kremlin. There was a special production line set at the factory to produce drinks for the higher power circles. As far as the preferences of the “high and mightiest” are concerned, Stalin’s favourite lemonade was “Lemon”, Khrushev preferred “Pear” and “Orange” and Brezhnev liked “Pear” and “Estragon” flavours.

Mitrofan Lagidze was nominated as Chief Consultant “Head fruit grower” in the Ministry of Food Industry of the USSR. Under his supervision a collection of recipes of non-alcoholic drinks was published, 90% of which were written by the “lemonade maestro”. This way, the production of lemonades in USSR nearly totally was based on the Lagidze recipes. All over USSR located are thousands of sparkling water vending machines, which, of course, was made using the syrups of Mitrofan Lagidze.
Also in 1952 the “Lemonade war” took place, which started when President of USA Harry Truman sent Stalin a 1000 bottles of Coca-Cola as a gift. The drink was liked by the Soviets, however Stalin wanted to respond adequately to the Americans and assigned Mitrofan Lagidze to prepare lemonades, which could astonish and delight Truman. Initially the drink was prepared by Lagidze in the leader, after which it was tasted on mass scale by the 120 employees of the Stalin Auto Plant. Subsequently the nicely packed bottles with the drink, called “Lemonade” were sent to the American President. Truman was so excited by the lemonades that he after tasting them readily expressed his desire to organize the supply of the drinks to USA.

After the death of Mitrofan Lagidze in 1960 poet Evgeny Evtushenko dedicated to the “Lemonade King” and his drinks the poem called “Lemonade Lagidze”, in which he described his favourite lemonade as “sensation of a golden marvel”. After the death of its creator the legend-brand has been a little out of main stream for a few decades.

E. Evtushenko’s “Lemonade Lagidze”

Всегда есть неразгаданность в продавце

И в мастере любом - таков закон.

Секрет своей воды унес Лагидзе,

Как тайну языка Галактион.

Теперь стихи, как лимонад шипучи.

Промышленность работает хитро,

И почему-то жидкие шипучи

Сегодня называются «ситро».

Что вкус для мира, слишком занятого.

Но важно от безвкусицы устав,

То ощущение чуда золотого

Шипевшего когда то на устах.

И лимонад не терпит равнодушья

Как прыгали пьянящие слегка.

Лимонов бывших крошечные души

Смеясь внутри любого пузырька.

Старик Лагидзе умирал как надо,

Бесслезно смерть приняв как благодать.

С ним умирали тайны лимонадов

И мастер знал - ее не передать.

А юноша рискнул над ним склонится

«В чем ваш секрет» - спросил у старика

И высунув смеясь язык Лагидзе

И показал на кончик языка.

Фраза про «кончик языка» в этом стихотворении – не образ, придуманный Евтушенко. Про Митрофана Лагидзе говорили, что он носит все свои рецепты «на языке», подразумевая тем самым его удивительную способность с одного глотка определять соотношение ингредиентов в том или ином напитке и с легкостью  совершенствовать его формулу. Когда коллеги Лагидзе попытались выведать у него главный секрет производства, «лимонадный гений» просто показал им язык, подразумевая тем самым, что «Все дело во вкусе!». 

“MITROFAN LAGIDZE 1887” trade mark was registered with International Bureau of Global Organization of Intellectual Property. Under the Management of Malhaz Dzimictarishvili the production of “Mitrofan Lagidze” products starts on rented territory, as well as the construction of the new factory starts. The legendary brand with a century of history undergoes a rebirth.

The construction of Tikhvin Lemonade Factory “Lagidze Waters” is completed, which today is one of the most modern and highly technological production companies in Russia. The “Tikhvin Lemonade Factory “Lagidze Waters” holds exclusive rights for the production and sales of lemonade on the territory of Russia. The factory is headed by Malhaz Dzimistarishvili. Director of the “Lagidze Waters” factory in Georgia is the grandson of the founder of the legendary brand, Tornike Lagidze.