Interview with the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) with Essences Bulgaria

In Essence spoke to Jonathan Middendorf about his farm in Bulgaria, his hopes for the future and the importance of organic production.

- Who is Essences Bulgaria? Please tell us a bit about yourselves...
- We are a Bulgarian German family dedicated to our organic farming business producing excellent quality essential oils, floral waters, cold pressed oils and honey. We supply only 100% pure natural products that originate from fully organic agriculture. “We love what we do” is our phrase, and we believe you can sense it in every Essences Bulgaria product with their unique fragrance and taste.

- Where are you based?
- Our plantations are situated in North-Eastern Bulgaria, close to the Srebarna Reserve, a designated UNESCO Biosphere Park, and the Rusenski Lom Nature Park. The area's soil is regarded as among of Europe's richest and most productive soils. This is critical to the medicinal and restorative qualities of our products, as well as the quality of the crops. 

- What aromatic plants do you grow and distil?
- We grow a wide selection of herbs, which are suitable for our Bulgarian climate and soil. Those include very common plants like Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), but also unusual and rare plants like Smoke tree (Cotinus Coggygria), Lemon savory (Satureja montana ssp. citriodora) or Moldavian dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica).

- Which is your favourite essential oil that you distil? Why is it your favourite?
- My personal favourite is Moldavian dragonhead. The scent is a beautiful combination of a Melissa (Melissa officinalis) like fragrance with a slight mild honey. I love the purple flowering fields in summer with the incredible sound of the bees, who probably love the plant even more than me. 

- Some of the essential oils you distil are quite unusual, what made you choose to grow them?
- I love to try new things and experiences, especially if something novel and unexpectedly wonderful comes out. This was the case with the Dragonhead oil in particular. The harvest was good, and the interesting scent combined with promising aroma-therapeutic benefits.

- Apart from essential oils, what else do you produce?
- We also produce hydrosols, cold pressed oils and honey. We work together with a local partner to produce our cold pressed oils, and in my opinion, the best of our oils are apricot kernel (Prunus armeniaca), walnut (Juglans regia) and hemp seed (Cannabis sativa).

- What are the biggest challenges for farmers and distillers right now?
The biggest problems in the few last years have been the water shortage and unexpected weather patterns, which can appear out of the blue and destroy entire harvests. The fluctuation in the market is quite a challenge, as there are years where some oils are produced in large quantities all over the world and the price drops below production level. This is especially the case for Bulgarian oils, as customers expect low prices from Bulgarian producers, whilst they are willing to pay significantly more from others (e.g. French producers).

- How important is it to be sustainable and organic?
- In a world of constant changes, taking care of nature and working sustainably is most important to continue the beauty and fertility of nature that surrounds us and to keep it accessible for future generations.

- What are your future hopes for Essences Bulgaria?
- That more farmers understand the crucial importance of giving something back to nature and to our soil, as that is what we all depend on. Only by giving things back and working more sustainably and organically will we be able to tackle future problems. This will also create more healthy products.
This year we are growing Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), for the first time. We will dry and sell this herb. We are especially excited about this as the healing benefits of this plant are widely known.