Armenia’s fertile soil and favourable climate give its fruit a distinctive richness of flavour. Combined with the country’s relatively low use of chemical fertilisers, this creates agricultural products that are increasingly valued in international markets. As Armenia’s food processing sector continues to grow, its producers are discovering new opportunities to turn local harvests into globally competitive products.
For Ara Gevorgyan, this potential was deeply personal. Inspired by the orchards his father had once tended, he decided to continue the family tradition and transform it into a modern business.
In 2018, in Armenia’s Armavir region, Ara founded a small company specialising in horticulture and the production of fruit chips, fruit pastilles and apple juice under the Kanach brand. Using fruit harvested from his own orchards in the Ararat Valley, his ambition was simple: to share the taste of Armenia’s finest dried fruits with international consumers.
For several years the company exported mainly to Russia. Yet Ara had a much bigger goal in mind – entering the European market.
Scaling up with EU support
A turning point came in 2024, when the company joined the European Union-funded project “Building Sustainable Agribusiness and Apparel Value Chains in Armenia”, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the EU4Business Initiative.
Through the project, Ara gained access to specialised training, advisory services and opportunities to exchange experience with other entrepreneurs. This support helped the company improve its production processes and upgrade its facilities.
Among the key developments were improvements to production and storage infrastructure, the introduction of new technologies for drying prunes, and the creation of a new line of confectionery products based on dried fruit.
“We highly value the training, consulting and advisory services we received,” says Ara.
“Thanks to the introduction of new technologies, we began managing our business much more professionally. With this support, we were able to create high-quality, competitive products that reflect not only the richness of Armenia’s soil, but also the latest European approaches.”
With the project’s assistance, Ara also received branding support and launched a new line of dried fruit products under the Donos brand.
Building a presence on the global stage
As the company strengthened its production capacity and brand identity, it began taking its first steps onto the global stage.
Ara participated in two of the world’s leading food industry exhibitions: SIAL Paris 2024 and Gulfood 2025.
SIAL Paris proved to be a milestone for the company’s international expansion. The newly launched Donos brand attracted strong interest from international buyers, resulting in two cooperation agreements signed during the exhibition – one with a French partner and another with a US company. Both agreements led to concrete business partnerships.
“With the project’s support, we participated in SIAL Paris for the first time and presented our products with professional packaging and promotional materials. It was an incredible experience,” Ara recalls.
The momentum continued at Gulfood 2025, where the project facilitated B2B meetings with international buyers. The event helped the company further expand its network of global contacts, opening discussions with potential partners from the Middle East and Asia.
Several negotiations are currently underway.
Looking ahead
Today, Ara Gevorgyan’s business continues to grow with ongoing support from the project, including training and advisory activities focused on food safety standards, EU export requirements and international market readiness.
What began as a small local enterprise built around family orchards is steadily evolving into an internationally recognised exporter.
With strong demand from global markets, sustainable sourcing from the Ararat Valley and modern processing technologies, the company is well positioned to bring the taste of Armenian fruit to tables around the world.
