Among the rose gardens, with a smile and a vision for the future

At the beginning of June, the BLD Poland team had the honour of participating in the annual BLD Team Building meeting, this time in picturesque Kazanlak – a place where roses bloom and great ideas are born. For three days, we celebrated the successes of the past year, walked along ecological trails, shared experiences and plans for the future.

Together, we celebrated, among other things, the launch of sales of our first investment in Poland – Ivory, the purchase of additional land, record sales of apartments in Bulgaria, the completion of the Stellar and Aviva projects, and the launch of our largest Bulgarian investment – Uptown Square.

Among the rose fields of Kazanlak, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we were able to stop and look at what is really important – the people with whom we are building BLD.

This integration with nature showed us that a strong team is one that can not only work together, but also dream together.

And so we went to this rose festival:

1. Significance and scale of production
Bulgaria is one of the world’s largest producers of rose oil, accounting for approximately 40–50% of global supply. Annual production usually ranges between 2.5 and 4 tonnes of oil, obtained from 10,000–15,000 tonnes of rose petals kosovapress.comreuters.com.

2. Cultivation and harvesting
Main growing areas: Rose Valley (near Kazanlak and Karlovo), where the climate and soil conditions are ideal for the Rosa damascena variety.
Harvest period: late May – early June. The petals are picked by hand, usually before sunrise (between 5:00 and 11:00), when the oil concentration is at its highest bulgariarosefestival.com.

3. Methods of oil extraction
3.1. Steam distillation

• The most popular and traditional method. Fresh petals are placed in large steel vats, through which low-pressure steam is passed. The steam lifts the volatile aromatic compounds, which condense into hydrolate and essential oil after cooling. bulgarianroseotto.comen.wikipedia.org.

3.2. Solvent extraction

• An alternative method for obtaining what is known as ‘concrete’, a waxy mass rich in oil. Concrete is dissolved in alcohol to obtain ‘absolute’ – a more concentrated product with a fuller aroma rosefestivalkazanlak.commaking.com.

3.3. Supercritical CO₂ extraction

• A modern method, less commonly used in Bulgaria due to high investment costs. However, it allows for a very clean and complete extract without solvent residues. en.wikipedia.org.

4. Efficiency and costs

• On average, 3,000–4,000 kg of petals (approx. 1.5 ml per 2,500–3,500 petals) are needed to produce 1 kg of pure oil. bulgariarosefestival.combrilltravel.com.
• The price of 1 kg of Bulgarian rose oil ranges between EUR 6,500 and EUR 7,000, making it one of the most expensive essential oils in the world.

5. Challenges and prospects

• Climate change: Erratic weather (frosts, heat waves) affects the quality and quantity of crops reuters.comeuronews.com. Climate change:
• Trade policy: Potential tariffs on exports to the US could reduce the competitiveness of Bulgarian oil in key markets euronews.combalkaneu.com.
• Technological innovations: The introduction of more efficient steam distillers and the development of CO₂ extraction can increase the profitability of production.

Thanks to its unique microclimate and centuries-old tradition, Bulgaria remains a key player in the rose oil market, and further investments in extraction technologies have the potential to strengthen its position.