Welcome to Iraq

Armenian cigarettes gaining popularity

May 27, 2016
Welcome to Iraq
Torn by wars and terrorism, Iraq was not an attractive market for Armenian businesses just several years ago. Nevertheless, the successful activity of Armenian cigarette exporters made the country their Number 2 destination, following Russia.

EFSE success stories. Karen Grigoryan: we improve conditions for getting better crops

Grigoryan doesn’t have permanent employees but hires up to ten people when extra help is needed once or twice a month.

June 16, 2014
EFSE success stories. Karen Grigoryan: we improve conditions for getting better crops
Bardzrashen was named for its location: the village in the Ararat province of Armenia is situated high on a hill, with a long curving road leading to it. Like many other villagers, Karen Grigoryan is a farmer - he has greenhouses to grow vegetables and flowers. To improve the quality of the crop and reduce the weather risk, he recently built a new heating system in his glassed greenhouse where he usually grows pinks.

EFSE success stories. Samvel Melkonyan: as you grow older, you want more stability in life

“Not a fan of drastic changes, I didn’t risk a new kind of business and just continued with what I could do the best,” Melkonyan says.

June 13, 2014
EFSE success stories. Samvel Melkonyan: as you grow older, you want more stability in life
Samvel Melkonyan, the head of S Kahuyq LLC has been engaged in furniture business since the Soviet times. Currently, he runs his own furniture shop in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

EFSE success stories. Alla Davtyan and Mikael Hovhannisyan: a small family with big achievements

The couple breeds cattle, pigs, hens and ducks, and at the first sight taking care of the whole livestock farm seems quite impossible.

June 11, 2014
EFSE success stories. Alla Davtyan and Mikael Hovhannisyan: a small family with big achievements
Alla Davtyan, her husband Mikael Hovhannisyan and their little daughter moved to Masis village located near the town of Artashat in Ararat province of Armenia several years ago. They settled in a small construction next to an abandoned farm, the owner of which let them live and work there, and purchased a cow, marking the beginning of a new life.

EFSE success stories. Karen Asoyan: a reliable bank is like an old friend

With the business advancing, Asoyan doesn’t rule out taking another loan for opening a new shop to sell shoes for men.

June 6, 2014
EFSE success stories. Karen Asoyan: a reliable bank is like an old friend
Edgar & Karen LLC, which was registered back in 2007, now operates Planet of Clothes chain of shops selling affordable clothing in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and in the nearby town of Abovyan. The head of the firm, Karen Asoyan, personally runs the business, importing goods from China, Turkey and Dubai.

EFSE success stories. Hamlet Shmavonyan: problems are solvable, if people do their job

“All you see around is the result of our family efforts. We work hard day and night and the outcome is pleasing,” Shmavonyan says.

May 30, 2014
EFSE success stories. Hamlet Shmavonyan: problems are solvable, if people do their job
Hamlet Shmavonyan, a resident of Aratavan village in Ararat province of Armenia, believes that all problems are solvable, once people do their job. With the latest $2500 loan from ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank, he bought a land adjacent to his house, where he already built a pigsty, as well as two greenhouses to grow pinks, tulips and chrysanthemums. He also purchased fuelwood he uses to heat the greenhouses in winter.

EFSE success stories. Rafik Vardanyan: doors of my restaurant are always open

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Rafik Vardanyan acquired the land of 1129,8 square meters to start his business.

May 28, 2014
EFSE success stories. Rafik Vardanyan: doors of my restaurant are always open
Erzrum restaurant complex has been functioning for over 7 years in Jrvezh district on the outskirts of Armenia’s capital Yerevan. It’s a two-storey construction, with an adjacent green territory used as an open air café.

EFSE success stories. Sargis Manukyan: a farmer shouldn’t put all eggs in one basket

“With ACBA at my side, we mapped out the future one step at a time. That makes the risk manageable,“ Manukyan says.

May 22, 2014
EFSE success stories. Sargis Manukyan: a farmer shouldn’t put all eggs in one basket
The resident of Lenughi village of Armenia’s Armavir province, Sargis Manukyan, believes that a farmer shouldn’t put all eggs in one basket. However, he knows that diversification can be risky too. A little more than ten years ago, Manukyan’s small farm enabled him to make a modest living. At the same time, he knew that limiting his business to livestock was equal to reducing his chances for a better life.

EFSE success stories. Khachatryan family: never give people the food you wouldn’t eat yourself

The Khachatryans managed to keep the business and further develop it, following the directions once set by the head of the family.

May 14, 2014
EFSE success stories. Khachatryan family: never give people the food you wouldn’t eat yourself
Laura Khachatryan follows the business rules once set by her husband, Patvakan Khachatryan, who started the Vahan Khachatryan and Friends bakery back in 2000 with three old electric ovens, which were quite inefficient and costly to operate.

EFSE success stories. Yeghishe Gevorgyan: as a farmer, you are dependent on Mother Nature

By 2009, Gevorgyan's barn had 18 cows, 7 heifers and 22 calves, while alfalfa production mainly covered his own needs.

May 7, 2014
EFSE success stories. Yeghishe Gevorgyan: as a farmer, you are dependent on Mother Nature
Yeghishe Gevorgyan lives on the outskirts of Aragatsavan, a small village in Aragatsotn province of Armenia, just a few miles from the Turkish border. About a decade ago, he made a decision that changed his life. “At one point, I said to myself: ‘Yeghishe, if you don’t do something with this land, someone else will’,” Gevorgyan recollects.
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