All the flavors of Armenia’s villages come together at the “954 Flavor” agricultural hub, from where they make their way to consumers. This concept was created by agronomist David Davtyan. The “954 Flavor” brand is well known to many—it brings together both famous and lesser-known agricultural products from Armenia’s remote and nearby villages in one central location and delivers them to consumers.
“The name ‘954 Flavor’ is based on Armenia’s 954 villages. I spent two years developing this idea. Initially, we collaborated with only a few farmers, but now we work with dozens. The mechanism is simple: ‘954 Flavor’ consists of three components: 1. The agricultural products reach us, are sorted, and then delivered to the consumer, 2. The products arrive, are processed, and turned into dishes or preserves, 3. We facilitate production,” says David.
At the beginning of his business, David rented a space, renovated it, and equipped it with some necessary machinery. It was during this phase that, with the support of the UNDP Sustainable Communities programme, his center received freezers, a vacuum packaging machine, and a dehydrator, which allowed him to expand the business and enter the market more confidently.
“The big wave for my business came after the collaboration with UNDP. If it weren’t for this support, I wouldn’t have had a clear vision of running a large-scale operation. Thanks to UNDP, I was able to establish my business on a stronger foundation,” says David, adding that his venture has been a major help to farmers by solving their sales challenges, which is one of their biggest concerns during harvest seasons.
Over the years, David has analyzed the best ways to ensure proper procurement—when and how much to collect. One of the main challenges for farmers is storage, and when production volumes are large, proper storage becomes critical. Without the right conditions, an entire harvest can be lost due to spoilage.
“If I didn’t have freezers, I wouldn’t be able to store products for long periods, especially in hot weather when they spoil quickly and lose their marketable appearance. The ‘Sustainable Communities’ programme became the driving force behind ‘954 Flavor,’ accelerating its development several times over,” David emphasizes.
Farmers working with “954 Flavor” already know they won’t have trouble selling their produce. For example, raspberries cannot be stored for long and must be sold quickly. Freezers allow unsold quantities to be frozen and stored for future sales.
“‘954 Flavor’ is one of the few businesses that doesn’t struggle with sales but rather with organizing sales efficiently. Logistics is a challenge that requires significant investment. Take potatoes, for example. Farmers harvest them, take them to the Meymandar market, and sell them for 140 AMD per kilogram. Often, they resell them among themselves, raising the price to 180 AMD. Then resellers buy the potatoes and bring them to the city, where they are sold for 250 AMD per kilogram. In this scenario, no one is fully satisfied because the product changes hands multiple times, its price fluctuates, and by sitting in different places for days, it loses its freshness.
At ‘954 Flavor,’ we procure the same potatoes at 150 AMD per kilogram, sort them, and sell them fresh for 250 AMD. We also use the unsold leftovers to make mashed potatoes or frozen fries,” says David.
