Enio Bonchev Production Ltd.

A. The main facts about the activities of the company.

Enio Bonchev Production Ltd., is the leading Bulgarian producer of Rose and Lavender essential oils and floral waters. They have a long history dating back to 1909 when one of the first rose distilleries was built by their founder Mr. Enio Bonchev. The company is a producer of high quality Bulgarian Rose and Lavender Oils and Floral Waters since 1909 of organic quality.

In 1947 the Rose oil distillery in Tarnichene was nationalized by the Bulgarian government; under the supervision of the state it continued working until 1967 when was turned into a museum.

In 1992, after the fall of the communist regime, the distillery in Tarnichene was restituted and given back to the lawful owners- the inheritors of Enio Bonchev. The family revives the business and in the next years makes significant improvements and new developments.

In the period 1998- 2012 we have planted over 160 hectares rose and lavender fields as well as built three new modern, state- of- the- art distilleries— all designated to meet the increased market demand for highest grade quality of pure and 100% Natural Bulgarian Rose oil, Lavender oil and floral waters.

1. Fair trade and sustainability are key elements of the work done by the company and its philosophy: They pay special attention to their partnership with rose pickers, workers, farmers and raw materials suppliers at regional and national level who receive fair prices for their work and efforts done for the company.
2. Also, they support all minority groups and individuals with low social status for whom it is difficult to socially integrate and be accepted in the community. It very important to underline that they have never used minority groups in order to reduce costs with lower wages, instead they have always been helping these poor people to integrate in a social-working environtment, educate them and endorse good behaviour and tollerance.

B. The Ethical challenges this company is addressing.

1. They arrange and deliver full truck loads with food for Christmas and Easter for all people who have worked for the company during rose and lavender campaign.
2. Enio Bonchev is a proud sponsor of Tarnichene youth soccer team.
3. The Grain exchange program: this program is intended not only for the Romi people but also for the rest of the workers, farmers and suppliers who take care of animals apart from their rose farming. Sometimes they are in need of grain in order to feed their animals. It is difficult for them to find good quality at reasonable price so the company negotiates on their behalf better rates for higher volumes.
4. They provide to their pickers with raincoats and hot tea for rainy workdays as well as distribute food for lunch during harvest season.
5. They provide interest free cash advances to farmers who work for the company during the entire year as well as supply them with quality agricultural preparations needed for the maintenance and protection of their fields.

C. What makes you believe this company is really ethical and why you trust it?

We (as a team) believe that this company is ethical and worthed our trust, because of its diverse non-profti orientated acts during the year. The relationship that the company maintains with the workers and the great way to supply their co-workers with food and necessary goods for living is fantastic and inspiring.

We consider that all companies should be like this, because they do not care only about the profits of the business and sales, but also help their fellows and improve the social situation in the region where their company is based and also give a great example to other companies from the sector. "Enio Bonchev Production" does something beyond the pure financial investment that helps to secure business activities and respectable reputation and relation with local customers, people and companies from all social ranges and classes.

D.The possible challenges facing the company in the future and how you think this company may improve.

On the one hand, we believe that among the possible challenges that the company will have to face is the climate change. As the world temperature is increasing, flowers and cattle is being damaged by it and becomes more and more difficult to maintain an ecological production without good climate conditions. It is posible that these climate changes may force the company to change their production processes in order to keep them organic and natural.

On the other hand, currently the company is in the process of "Fair for Life" certification by IMO Switzerland - www.fairforlife.org. This is a certification for social accountability and Fair trade. With this certification they would like to stand out as a value-creating organization and contribute to the reduction of local unemployment rate as well as aid in increasing the standard of living. With the help of key clients they want to create a special fund for the Romi people which would accumulate amounts from each customer’s purchase. This fund will then be distributed evenly and equally throughout the people in different forms. This is a huge mission and challenge for the company, which will definitely have social effects so they have to be very careful with the management of such responsibility.