Mitrofan Lagidze, the renowned creator of the drink "Tarkhuna," was born in 1869 in the village of Cholevi in the Kutaisi province. His parents were nobleman Ermal (Varlam) Lagidze and Gulchina Ugrekhelidze. Lagidze began his career experimenting with natural ingredients, and in 1887 he developed a new recipe for fruit waters using herbs and fruits.

He added syrup made from Caucasian herbs, including tarragon, to soda water, leading to the creation of the drink known today as "Tarkhuna." In 1900, Lagidze opened a small factory in Kutaisi, and in 1902 he traveled to Germany and France to study new technologies for producing non-alcoholic beverages.

The products from his factory quickly became popular and received top awards at exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Vienna in 1913 and 1914. Lagidze became a supplier to the Russian imperial court and the Shah of Iran. In 1904, he built the first power station in Kutaisi, which supplied energy to his factory and illuminated the city.

In 1906, with the support of Ilya Chavchavadze and Akaki Tsereteli, Lagidze opened production in Tbilisi and the "Lagidze Waters" store on Rustaveli Avenue. Sellers attracted customers by promising beauty to those who drank his beverages.

After a fire in 1921 destroyed the factory, Lagidze temporarily produced syrups in the basement of his house on Griboedov Street. He transferred his store to the state, but management remained with him. In 1927, the Soviet authorities built a new factory in Tbilisi, with Lagidze as its director. Today, the factory continues to operate, and its director is the inventor's grandson, Tornike Lagidze.