About · The Collective
Not an agency.
A collective.
Svaneti · photo Tamara Natenadze, Living Roots
Home / About / The Collective
Who we are
Travel curators, ethnologists, winemakers, guides — sharing their own Georgia
Living Roots began in 2012 with a simple conviction: the people best placed to reveal a country are the ones who live it — and love it beyond reason.
Today the collective spans travel curators, ethnographers, winemakers, musicians and mountain guides across Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. We design journeys the way our friends host guests: generously, honestly, and with at least one story too many.
2012
founded
90%
locally-owned suppliers
3
countries
The founders
Two roads into one company
PHOTO SLOT
Ia Tabagari — portrait
[from Website Photos]
Co-founder & CEO
Ia Tabagari
A defining voice of Georgian tourism. Ia headed the board of GITOA — the Georgian Incoming Tour Operators Association — for ten years, and serves on its board today. She mentors women building regional tourism businesses across the country and has led national sustainable-product development for years. An ethnographer by training, she is the reason a Living Roots journey opens doors no brochure can.
PHOTO SLOT
John Wurdeman — portrait
[from Website Photos]
Co-founder
John Wurdeman
American-born artist and winemaker who fell for Georgia and never left. Co-founder of Pheasant’s Tears winery (est. 2006, with Gela Patalishvili), John is one of the great champions of Georgian qvevri wine, cuisine and polyphonic song — a bridge between the country’s living traditions and the travellers who come to meet them. He co-founded Living Roots in 2012.
See us in motion
Georgia, at our table
Who we areBrand film · 2 min
A day with the collectiveShort film · 90 sec
DESIGNER NOTE: two video placeholders — swap for the real films (YouTube/Vimeo embeds). Thumbnails shown are stand-ins.
Our story
From a winery and a horse ranch to three countries
2006
The roots
John co-founds Pheasant’s Tears winery — Georgian qvevri wine starts travelling the world.
2012
Living Roots is born
Ia and John found the collective — and a horse ranch above Qedeli begins.
[year]
Lost Ridge grows
The ranch becomes an inn, a three-barrel brewery and a fire kitchen.
[year]
Firsts
Georgia’s first equestrian guide training program, co-developed here.
Today
Three countries
Hundreds of families, artisans and hosts — Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan.
The wider collective
The people you’ll actually meet
PHOTO SLOT
Team portrait
[Name]
Travel curator · Tbilisi
[Short bio to provide — 2 lines, warm and specific.]
PHOTO SLOT
Team portrait
[Name]
Ethnographer
[Short bio to provide.]
PHOTO SLOT
Team portrait
[Name]
Mountain guide · [region]
[Short bio to provide.]
Guides, drivers, cooks, winemakers, artisans, guesthouse families, lecturers, musicians, farmers — the collective is long. Meet more of them in People & Places.
In their words
What travellers say about us
★★★★★
“The entire company seems committed to highlighting local people and producers… I’ll cherish the memories of the artists and winemakers I met.”
Kathryn D · Ohio, USA
★★★★★
“Living Roots makes sure local small businesses and local people benefit from tourism… I could absolutely recommend them to anyone.”
13exotictraveller · London, UK
★★★★★
“Bakar worked with us from start to finish to tailor the trip to our interests… I recommend them 100%.”
Jennifer K
Real reviews from TripAdvisor. Read more traveller stories →
Recognition & memberships
The company we keep
Living Roots is active where Georgian tourism is shaped — in its associations, its standards, and the training of its next generation of guides.
GITOABoard member · chaired 10 yrs
ETOAMember
GNTAMember · exhibits internationally
Georgian Ecotourism AssociationMember
Adventure Tourism SchoolCo-founder
DESIGNER NOTE: replace text chips with member/accreditation logos when supplied. [Confirm the exact list & provide logo files.]
Why travel with us
Five reasons, all of them people
01
Insiders, not intermediaries
A collective of winemakers, ethnographers and mountain guides — founded by Ia Tabagari, a decade at the head of Georgia’s tour-operators association, and John Wurdeman of Pheasant’s Tears.
02
Community-woven, since 2012
90% locally-owned suppliers and community partners in every region — responsible tourism as the method, not the marketing. See how.
03
Only tailor-made
Deliberately not a volume operator. From backpacker trails to ultra-luxury concierge, every journey is composed for its travellers.
04
One partner, three countries
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan — one brief, one operator, seamless borders.
05
Proof you can sleep inside
Lost Ridge — our own inn, brewery and ranch in a once-abandoned village — is where we test everything we preach. Visit it.
“We don’t show you our country.
We introduce you to it.”
Come meet everyone.
The collective is at its best around a table.