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 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.