14.12.2021
ROMANIA: BULGARIAN WOMAN WITH A BLUEBERRY PLANTATION
Bulgarian Veneta Yorga lives in Romania and together with her husband produces the so-called American cultivated blueberry. They have a small plantation of 40 decares at the foot of Mount Fugaras, Julia Bahovski, creator of the only information portal for Bulgarians in Romania MyRoBiz, told BTA.
Every year at Christmas our compatriot makes gift baskets that contain family products - jam, syrups, compotes and even blueberry brandy.
Veneta was born in Plovdiv. He is an economist by education. She has been living in Bod, Brasov for 13 years and is the mother of two children - Mia and Alex. "I never thought that one day I would start a family in Romania.
Before I met my husband, whom we met at sea in Bulgaria and fell in love at first sight. Initially I was attracted by Brasov, which is very similar to Plovdiv on the hills and the Old Town. That's how I came, as if only as a guest, but I stayed," Veneta told MyRoBiz.
The following is part of Julia Bachowski's interview with Veneta Yorga.
Question: What were the main challenges you faced in the beginning and how did you overcome them?
It was quite difficult at first because I didn't know the language. The nostalgia for Bulgaria was huge. I had just finished my master's degree, I was trying to find a job in Brasov, but I couldn't. Proficiency in English and Russian was not enough.
In the second year, after a summer in America, and after many ideas in my head about what to do, I decided to open a representative store of a Bulgarian perfume brand in Brasov. I imported their products directly from their factory in Plovdiv. That's how I managed to visit my parents there. The following year I opened another store and so, talking to my colleagues and meeting many different people, I started learning the language very quickly. Along with the shops and now with one child, I helped my husband with accounting and administrative work in his business - then he was a partner of a famous telecommunications company.
So, for years, we managed to create a home, family, business together. But the stress was not small (at one time we even had 40 agents - brokers in six different cities), which made us calm down and take a different direction. Namely - agronomy. Obstacles and bureaucracy are everywhere, but opportunities are everywhere - you just have to find them.
Question: Could you tell us more about your business?
Our business is based mainly on the wholesale export of blueberries, but in the last three years we have also emphasized the local plan of distribution to end customers in Brasov - consumers, as well as many local confectioneries, small and large stores. We have contracts with companies from Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, which buy in bulk from us during the blueberry season. This fruit is relatively expensive, but very useful, especially for diabetics, a strong antioxidant and immunostimulant. More and more people are beginning to learn about its qualities and the consumption of blueberries is growing. But at the same time more and more new plantations are appearing, the competition is not small. Three years ago, we were one of the few producers who delivered fresh blueberries and a mix of fresh fruits to the home and office here in Brasov.
During the pandemic period, however, this type of distribution became more widespread. And to keep our regular customers, we started processing blueberries into jam, syrups, natural juices. We offer frozen, dried dehydrated blueberries, blueberry liqueur (affine) and blueberry brandy. But our business is not limited to blueberries. We are currently working on a new and quite large project in the field of fishing and tourism, which has long been our dream.
Question: What makes Romania attractive for living and doing business?
In Romania, people are not afraid or afraid to try and succeed. Here you can really see the higher standard of living, not only because of the minimum wage, which is higher than the Bulgarian one, but also because you can feel the positivism and professionalism that are appreciated.
