Bulgaria’s Competitive Advantage
Bulgaria has many competitive advantages in terms of sourcing consumer goods and raw materials, namely its flexibility in delivering faster within shorter negotiating terms, especially in addressing niche target markets
Within its traditions in manufacturing, availability of raw materials, talent and proprietary technology, Bulgaria leads in the following areas and commodity groups:
- Specialty food – feta cheese, organic jams, glass jars canned vegetable spreads, gourmet starters – vegetable based, spiced etc.
- Wine – dry, red, Geographic Origin and unique sorts growing only in Bulgaria (MAVRUD local indigenous variety)
- Bicycles – Bulgaria being the leading EU manufacturer
- Furniture, especially chairs; including hotel chains furnishing;
- Textiles in three areas which demand highly skilled manual labour , competing successfully with the Far East: female high fashion apparel in boutique quantities requiring fast delivery; digitally printed textiles for the souvenir and business gifts industry; uniforms and protection clothing;
- Skin, hair and body care, esp. containing yoghurt, rose and lavender; herbs based, unique worldwide
- Essential oils for aromas, massage and yoga studios, especially lavender and rose
- Machined parts, castings and forgings for the oil and gas industry – heavy duty out of gauge machining and metal tools processing – Bulgaria leading tradition in the ex-Soviet block
- Sunflower and pumpkin seeds, Bulgaria being the world’s 5th largest producer of sunflower seeds and their kernels.
Traditionally, US companies have been seeking to source in Bulgaria more actively marble, quartz and specialty façade stones, forest fruit, caviar, machining of metal parts;
- Example of a NICHE product where Bulgaria is world leader – indoor climbing walls; we offer a set-up structured franchise for whole indoor amusement parks especially for Shopping Malls.
Imports – What We Seek to Procure from the US
What Bulgarian companies are most often interested in procuring and importing from the US:
- Scrap end of life car batteries in unlimited quantities – need big collection facilities in the US; Bulgaria one of Europe’s leading car batteries producer, owns patent and proprietary technology for FULL recycling of the old batteries, which serve as main raw materials and source (including the plastic and filters inside);
- Peanuts and other nuts
- Street pavement and road construction equipment
- Retrofitted agricultural equipment, including greenhouses, hydroponics, aquaponics and vertical farming technologies
- Ammonia for fertilizer manufacturing
- LNG and LPG filed in buyers’ own cryogenic containers, no pipeline or shore facility necessarily required
- Mining and construction waste recycling equipment, excavators etc.
- Plastic recycling technologies and waste management equipment;
- Whisky;
- Cotton;
- Consignment apparel