Traditional Armenian Champagne May Soon Not Be Available for Sale

The "Joxovurd" newspaper reports that traditional Armenian champagne may not be available for sale in the near future. Employees of the Yerevan champagne winery contacted the editorial office, indicating that they have not received salaries for four months. "We haven’t received our salaries since May; the factory has been idle for four months, and the cisterns are being dismantled and sold piece by piece. The late Vedsand Hakobyan was able to keep the factory running; everything turned upside down after his death," said one employee.

Another worker raised concerns, stating, "The cisterns are being mounted and sold as scrap metal. The factory has also processed about 1,000 tons of grapes, and people don’t know what will happen to this grape or where it will be stored for brandy production." According to the citizens who contacted us, employees of "Garant Service," owned by the Hakobyans, also have not received their salaries.

It is noteworthy that the company’s founder, Vedsand Hakobyan, passed away in July 2022, and since then, his brother, Hrayr Hakobyan, has been managing the factory. The "Joxovurd" newspaper reached out to Hrayr Hakobyan, who stated, "They are spreading false rumors. The factory is not closing; we are exporting products. Things are not just normal here, they are more than normal—we are launching new production. We have removed the cisterns to install a new ‘line’; the aluminum barrels have been taken out of the winemaking process, and they have been removed and placed outside, not for sale. As for salaries, they are paid on time. There has been a slight delay, but we will sort it out," the actual head of the factory noted. We will follow the developments to understand whether employees' rights are being violated.

Details can be found in today’s issue of the newspaper.