Mitrofan Lagidze, resident of Cholevi settlement of Kutaisi governorate and apprentice of a local pharmacist, observing, how, his mentor prepares lemonades based on foreign chemical essences, decided that one day he will invent his own drink, which will comprise of only natural components. Using the method of long and complex experiments Mitrofan succeeded to invent a unique recipe for the preparation of lemonades based on natural berry, fruit and herb syrups, growing on the territory of Georgia.
Furthermore, it was Mitrofan who first time in the world created a drink called “Lemonade”, without which nowadays it is impossible to imagine any store or cafe. The popularity of tasty sparkling drinks by Lagidze became simply unimaginable! The success of Mitrofan Lagidze lemonades was also due to their famous slogan, conceived by French advertisement experts: “Demand everywhere, lookout for imitations”. This call is valid even today.
It was said about Mitrofan Lagidze that he carries all his recipes on the “tip of his tongue”, meaning his wonderful ability to determine ratio of ingredients in one or the other drink after just one sip and easily improve its formula. When Lagidze’s colleagues tried to know his main secret of production, the “Lemonade Genius” simply showed his tongue, meaning that “it’s all in taste!”. Lagidze himself preferred “Lemon” among all of the lemonades invented by him and he considered this lemonade as a heavenly drink, the height of his skills.
Mitrofan Lagidze was always really passionate about his work and considered that for work only talent and knowledge of technology are not enough, but first of all huge love for what you do. It can confidently be said that all of the Tikhvin Lemonade Factory “Lagidze Waters” employees today continue the job started by him with the same honest devotion.
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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? |
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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. |
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Mitrofan comes to Tbilisi, where he opens a new factory for manufacturing lemonades, as well as the legendary store “Lagidze Waters” on Rustaveli Avenue. In the evenings all of the Georgian intellectuals would gather by the store to converge and quench their thirst with fresh and tasty lemonades. |
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Mitrofan Lagidze turned out to be not only a talented technologist, but also an excellent businessman, his drinks were popular beyond the Georgian borders and won awards in the Russian and international exhibitions. Lagidze becomes supplier of the Russian Imperial Court, as well as supplying lemonades to the court of the Shah of Iran. It is to be noted that Mitrofan Lagidze was a man of generous heart and the more he earned the more he gave away. Lagidze regularly helped talented Georgian writers in publishing books and except for that committed a really great deed: sponsored the construction of the first power plant in Kutaisi. |
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Mitrofan’s business had to undergo a serious test: a large scale fire totally destroys Mitrofan Lagidze’s beloved project. However this did not stop the manufacturing of the drinks: Mitrofan re-establishes manufacturing in the basement of his own home. |
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Year 1924: Sergei Esenin, enchanted by the taste of Lagidze drinks, dedicates the following lines to them: |
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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. |
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Mitrofan Lagidze starts the first industrial production of carbon dioxide gas in Georgia at his own factory. |
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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. 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 a special production line was set at the factory to produce drinks for supply to the Kremlin. |
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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. 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 Soviet leader and his comrades, however Stalin wanted to respond adequately to the Americans and assigned Mitrofan Lagidze to prepare lemonades, which could astonish and delight Truman. The nicely packed bottles Lemonades of various flavours were sent to the American President, who was so excited by the lemonades that he after tasting them readily expressed his desire to organize the supply of the drinks to USA. |
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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”
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“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. |
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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. |