We are made to live in freedom and it’s up to us to use or not this precious gift. Vasil Morfov knows how to make a choice – to go to Wales, to earn a degree in marketing, to work a bit in London. Then to return with the idea to do business in harmony with life.

At the age of 26 his goals are clear. A year ago Vasil opted for a life in the village of Brodilovo in the Strandja Mountain, only 10 km away from the seaside – a place with magnificent nature and fresh air. This is where the young man has established his organic farm, pursuing his big dream to unify stock breeding with modern environmental tourism. This is the example of many western states where guests enjoy the magnificent nature, but also assist the farmers with their work and take full participation in their everyday life.

Vasil Morfov started with a hectare and nowadays he cultivates 220 ha of hired land that has to be turned into grassland, as his main goal is to step on the market of organic meat.

“One should meet certain criteria in order to receive the global organic certificate. The main thing is that the entire breeding process has to be monitored, including the feeding. The food’s ingredients must carry the same organic standard”, Vasil Morfov explains. “As you know, the huge European trend of organic products is now entering Bulgaria and for my farm this means future advantage over conventional production. Prices of organic meat are much higher and the healthy product guarantee originates in this certificate.”

Out of curiosity the young farmer purchased a few buffalos of the Bulgarian Mura endangered species, as their breeding has its tradition in Brodilovo. The animals appeared to be calm and hard-working. At the same time Vasil relies mainly on high yield meat cattle:

“My herd consists of some 125 animals at the moment – cows, calves and ten little buffalos. The cows’ milking is banned due to organic certificates and the small ones should be left with their cow moms. Meat is the product that I want to take out on the market, alongside its processed versions: sausages, biltong, flat sausages etc. My greatest wish is some production on the market in the end of the autumn. Although I have contacts with some trade networks I am working on the creation of my own, in order to shorten the logistics part between the producer and the end client. I believe this is the right way to develop, since the more outsiders along the line, the greater the damage to the Bulgarian producer. This is something which has to be avoided from now on.”

Vasil Morfov believes in success, since a gradually increasing number of people has started to take care of what they eat, looking for organic food. His coevals in particular are trying to stick to the healthy lifestyle and often visit organic markets. The farmer also thinks that it is best to shop within our own area and, if possible, to find a granny in a village who can supply us with organic food.

Despite still being a startup, the young farmer’s initiative has already been recognized for its entrepreneurship qualities. The district committee in agriculture with the Burgas Municipality has handed him the Return to the Future Award, symbolizing youth, strength, change. Indeed, the deed of Vasil Morfov comes from tomorrow, as he wants to provide only the purest food, produced with humane attitude and the care of nature.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev