Slavena Rodinova, CEO Hot Farm, Strashimirovo (Bulgaria)
When Slavena Rodinova grew up on her parents’ farm in Strashimirovo, she never thought she would do anything in agriculture. Helping out with tending to the family’s crops, mostly vegetables, Slavena dreamed of a career as a singer. It wasn’t until she came back to the farm during the pandemic that she realised she had a passion for peppers and marketing them.
“I have always been passionate about singing and really believed it would shape my future”, Slavena introduces herself. “Even though I grew up on my parents’ farm, I didn’t see agriculture fitting in my vision of success, a good career or the possibility of building something big. I dreamt of a different path.” That’s why Slavena moved to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia to pursue a degree in journalism while working as a singer. “During that time, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in X Factor Bulgaria, which opened many doors for me.”
Return to the family farm
When the pandemic hit and the ensuing lockdowns were enforced all over the world in 2020, Slavena returned to her village and the farm. “The farm had vegetables, but specialised in hot and super-hot peppers. My father, Hristo, had founded the Hot Farm brand as an experiment in 2011.” Soon, Slavena realised the potential of the family business, even though it was operating at a loss at the time. She knew what needed to be done and decided to stay. But first, she needed to convince her parents of her idea. “What I saw upon my return and the fact that the family business was in trouble convinced me to rethink my planned career in music. The farm had developed into a fully integrated production cycle, from seed to finished product. I recognized the tremendous potential of the family business and convinced my parents that I could transform the vision of the products and the overall business strategy, then took charge of sales, marketing, advertising, partner relations and the strategy behind the Hot Farm brand.”
Today, the farm, by now entirely bootstrapped and innovation-driven, grows over three hundred varieties of hot peppers, certifying Bulgaria’s hottest pepper ‘Bulgarian Sense’ and even developing a food supplement made from Cayenne peppers. Since Slavena’s arrival, Hot Farm evolved from offering its products at farmers’ markets to export in Poland, China and the USA. “We expanded the farm from nine hundred square meters (0.222 acres, red.) to more than six hectares (16 acres, red.) and grew our team. I established a demonstration hall near the farm and secured distributors for export to Poland, China and the US. The brand went from five thousand followers on Instagram to a hundred thousand.”
Hot Farm is located in the village of Strashimirovo, near the town of Varna and Varna Lake, in the East of Bulgaria. “The climate and soil conditions in this area are ideal for growing chili peppers, which has allowed us to cultivate a wide variety of them”, Slavena explains. “Our geographical location has been crucial in helping us develop new pepper varieties, including ‘Bulgarian Sense,’ which is ten times spicier than our previous Bulgarian champion and one of the hottest peppers in Europe. This highlights how important our region’s natural environment is in supporting the innovation and growth of unique pepper varieties.”
“We focus on nurturing the soil before anything else because we believe that healthy soil is the foundation for strong plants, high-quality fresh peppers, and ultimately, top-quality final products. Our approach involves a fully integrated production process, from cultivating our own seeds to delivering the finished products. This closed-loop system ensures we maintain high standards of quality and sustainability throughout every stage of production.”
The farm aims to work in a closed loop, meaning the products sold by Hot Farm are almost exclusively made from produce grown at the farm or surrounding farms. The production is mainly focused on various types of chili peppers, but products such as spicy jams are fabricated using fruits or vegetables not grown at Hot Farm from local farms. “We try to source all the ingredients that go into our products from other farms or agricultural businesses that share our values and vision for how plants should be grown and treated”, Slavena says.
Spicy empire
In just four years of joining the family business, Slavena is at the head of a spicy empire. The Hot Farm products are available in over six hundred retail shops across Bulgaria and start to find their way in some of the best restaurants and hotels of the country, but also internationally. “We operate B2B and B2C”, Slavena comments. “Our products are available across Bulgaria of course, but we also collaborate with the catering industry. Additionally, we sell them online in Greece and have partners and distributors in Poland, China and the USA.”
A true power woman, Slavena strongly believes that young women play a vital and impactful role in agriculture. As such, she participated in this years’ Women in Ag Awards, a collaboration between our magazine and the German Agricultural Society DLG. “I consider it my mission to highlight the important role women play in agriculture. In my view, agribusiness is not just tied to tradition but is a forward-looking industry. Women have a unique and vital place in shaping the future of agriculture, especially in my part of the world.”
While navigating regulations and policies can be tricky, Slavena believes the work towards sustainable agriculture starts with the mindsets of the people working the land. “I strongly believe that if every individual, business, and organization focused on ‘tending to their own garden’—keeping it clean, sustainable, and thriving—the overall situation would improve significantly everywhere. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned from my family is that everything is in our own hands.”
Her advice to young girls and women who dream of a career in agriculture? “Go for it! You have the potential to conquer the world. As women, we share a deep connection with nature and the soil: it’s the source of life. Embrace that connection and don’t be afraid to take the first step. The possibilities are endless.”
“Five years ago, I thought I would conquer the world with my voice. Today, I’m doing it with our chili peppers and products. The journey may have changed, but the passion and drive remain the same.”
You can find Slavena
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