The Rose Valley is a magical place hidden between two mountain ranges, stretching 120 km in the middle of Bulgaria. It is home to the legally protected original variety of the Damask Rose, or Rosa Damascena Mill, the queen of all flowers. Its tiny, divinely aromatic flowers gradually open during one month of the year, and the entire valley is filled with an intoxicating scent that you can't escape, it is literally everywhere. Beautiful!!!!
Distillation of Damascus roses
The rose picking itself has its own clear order and procedure. Every grower knows that its approaching sign is the blooming acacias. When these trees bloom, work on the rose fields begins within 14 days. The fields are monitored and when the first blooming heads of damascenes appear, the pickers, drivers and technologists in the rose distilleries begin to organize themselves. Rose distillery is a term derived from Bulgarian. It refers to the so-called rose distillery, intended for the distillation of rose flowers, in which they undergo double distillation. This specific feature makes Bulgarian rose water so unique. Its qualities are appreciated all over the world and Bulgaria is the world leader in the export of rose water and rose oil.
The real rose
Due to the power of the rose business, there are different qualities of the product itself. Not every Bulgarian rose water is exceptional, not every one is from the original Rosa Damascena Mill variety! Another factor is the way the plant itself is grown and cared for. Rose water SoZoLe Rose not only comes from organic farming, but every bush in these fields is registered as a grower of this protected variety. Fertilization is done only with organic waste from the rose distillery, which is mixed with cow dung from a local organic farm. No pesticides are used, and weeding is done using “old technology”, i.e. pure human labor.
It starts at dawn.
The 2021 harvest itself was shortened this year due to the colder weather. Every year is different and every production has its own specifics. The flowers are collected immediately after dawn, when they are sprinkled with morning dew. Only open flowers, which contain the highest percentage of essential oil, which is the bearer of the characteristic intoxicating scent, go into 10 kg bags. They are collected by hand from dawn to noon. Socially disadvantaged and ethnic minorities are employed, for whom this seasonal work is the only chance to secure their daily bread. The collectors tie the bags to their waists so that their hands are free. Once filled, they take the bag to the collection point, where an experienced worker is already waiting. Each bag is checked, weighed and recorded. The collectors receive a fixed amount for each kilogram. After the required number of full bags are grouped at this point, drivers arrive and take the pink beauties to the rose distillery as an express. Time is important.
Tradition in a modern guise
The icing on the cake is the processing of fresh rose flowers in a more than 100-year-old rose distillery with five traditional copper vessels, the only functional ones of their kind. Thanks to modern technologies and demanding hygienic conditions, this is a tradition in a modern guise. These traditional copper vessels and the experience of the production technologists add to the rose water and oil SoZoLe Rose is a specific that is difficult to describe in words. Smell it, immerse yourself in this fragrance and you will forever recognize true rose water and its precious oil.
