16 Nov

Bulgaria’s Spice Trade Slowly Opening to New Flavors

Posted by Team Meros in Market Trends

Meros consultant Tina Peneva investigated Bulgaria’s spice market for the Bacchus magazine to identify recent trends in the market.

Bulgaria is a small yet important player in the global spice market, estimated at USD 13 billion. Bulgaria’s strategic geographic location has made it one of the important hubs for spice distribution in Eastern Europe.Bulgaria’s Spice Trade Slowly Opening to New Flavors

Bulgaria’s top spice currency is dried coriander which accounted for over 75% of the total spice exports. Coriander production totaled 27,000 tons in 2015. The country ranks third in the global coriander trade market, after India and Russia.

The most popular spice consumed in Bulgaria remains dried paprika, followed by black pepper and ready-to-use spice mixes. “Exotic” spices such as ginger, turmeric and saffron are slowly penetrating the market, adding new flavors to the somewhat conservative Bulgarian palate.

The full article (in Bulgarian) was published in the November 2016 issue.

16 Nov

NHK’s World’s Episode Highlights Agtech in Japan and Kenya

Posted by Team Meros in News

Meros’ Lucia Vancura recently appeared as a panelist on NHK World’s BizBuzz Japan episode on agribusiness, discussing the trends in ag tech, food innovation and the rise of “telephone farming” in Kenya, together with economist Jasper Kohl and NHK host Jon Kabira.

NHK World’s BizBuzz Japan

Topics included innovations and business ideas that can address the rising global demand for food, including Japan’s work on LED lighting for indoor farming, ways to effectively use the increasing acres of fallow land in Japan and how new markets are being sought for food innovations using rice, soy and other grains.

The show aired several times in August 2016.