Do you remember the aroma and flavour of childhood? This is the freshly baked bread by grandma’s hands, which patiently and lovingly kneaded dough from pure flour that was ground in the nearby mill. Today’s fast-paced rhythm of life has stolen these memories away, but it seems the time has come to look for the lost aroma of the past! If you wonder how you can do that, the answer is bioproducts. These days they are highly increasing, ranging from the “Thracians’ grain”- the wheat that is richest in protein- to biowine, biorose oil and biocosmetics. Are bioproducts a trend or necessity?
“They are neither a trend, nor necessity, but rather an evolution of the human mind”, young entrepreneur Svilen Klassanov, who is the owner of a bio bakery, a vegetarian restaurant and a bio foods shop, said for Radio Bulgaria. “This is a stage in our development when people realize the importance of good and clean food. This is happening on a world scale and everybody can feel and understand it”.
Europe is the biggest producer of bioproducts. According to EC data, this market is estimated to the tune of 5 billion euro. The EU member states are the main producers of bioproducts. The biggest consumers of these foods are Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Plant-based bioproducts account for 65 % of biofood production, and consumption is reaching 10-15%.
Where is Bulgaria in this picture? Despite the crisis, the production and trading of bioproducts in the country is going up. The consumption share is still low, below 1 %, but trade dealers say the boom is yet to come. Some 400 farmers in Bulgaria are working in biofarming, with 80% of them doing plant-growing. However, nearly all of the production is exported to Europe. The number of specialized companies for import and distribution of bioproducts has increased twice for the last year and a half. The range of these products has soared from 1400 to 2600. The specialized shops for biofoods and foodstuffs in Bulgaria have reported a two-figure sales growth. Although these products are more expensive, there are a lot of consumers who prefer to buy biofoods.
“People from the sector report a high demand from consumers”, Svilen Klassanov went on to say. “They have already woken up to the clean and natural food, avoiding the preservative products in supermarkets, which are full of elements from the Mendeleev’s periodic table”
The growing interest in bioproducts has brought about a new wave on the market. Bulgaria has already opened restaurants that attract clients for their menus with biofoods. Specialists reckon that these restaurants will be quickly expanding.
“Our mission is to acquaint the modern man with natural foods and healthy lifestyle”, Svilen Klassanov continued. “This is extremely important because the Earth is suffering from the human assault on it, as a result of civilization and urbanization. We want to show that we can live with less, but good quality food”.
Svilen is known for the delicious wholemeal bread that he produces in his own bakery. The human kind has known for thousands of years the grain grinding between two stones. When you grind slowly, you do not lose the important properties of all vitamins, enzymes and minerals. The young entrepreneur grinds old sorts of wheat in a stone mill adding to the flour, like old recipes say, sour dough. “The stone mill is the only way to get pure flour”, he says. In this way, the bread does not crumble and mould; it can be preserved for nearly a week.
“It is very time-consuming”, Svilen Klassanov said. “To make bread from scratch is a very long process. To grind the grain, to knead the flour with sour dough, to wait for it to rise, to bake it, to make sure everything is authentic, high-quality, clean and natural…is very hard, indeed. Therefore, our bread is tasty and high quality”, Svilen Klassanov said in conclusion.
English version: Vyara Popova
