TRDP Supports Young Businesswoman from Areni village in realizing her Dream

In the center of Areni village, next to the highway and just in front of the area’s largest wine factory, stands a cozy B&B and large pavilion where guests visiting Areni can try tasty Armenian dishes and high quality wine. The business is run by an enthusiastic, hard-working young woman named Arevik, which means sun in Armenian.

At 24 years old, Arevik Hayrapetyan and her family wanted to make use of the large plot of land they own, in addition to their house that they have been renting out as a B&B. Hearing about the opportunities the American University of Armenia (AUA)’s Turpanjian Rural Development Program offers, Arevik decided to establish another business that would help her family’s business prosper and develop. Thus, she decided to construct a summer pavilion on their plot of land for hosting parties and events for large numbers of guests.

Arevik presented her business idea to the program’s local office in Yeghegnadzor, successfully passed the training session, made an impressive step-by-step presentation of her business plan and received the program-supported business loan with a 6% annual interest rate.

As a result of the TRDP team’s mentoring and monitoring activities and Arevik’s enthusiasm and devotion to her idea, the business became a reality.

The space has since become a rest and leisure area that attracts many tourists. Arevik hosts different events at her pavilion, meanwhile showing tourists the treasures of their village. Dance performances and “best honey and wine” competitions are just a few examples of the types of events she organizes. To date, Arevik’s business has created six new jobs in the community.

During the October 7, 2017 Harvest Festival in Areni, Arevik’s pavilion was full of guests all day, with the number of guests reaching 270.