"Slavena Rodinova gave up a career in music and found herself on her family's hot pepper farm. With her fresh perspective, in just a few years she has multiplied Hot Farm's revenue several times over and launched its hot sauces to far-flung corners of the world"
Slavena Rodinova arrived back from the USA only a day ago. Across the Atlantic she was representing the family hot sauce company Hot Farm, of which she is CEO, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York – the major trade show for food and drink producers.
Alongside other Bulgarian companies, the business she runs took part in the Bulgarian stand, and Slavena Rodinova herself joined a panel on stage. Despite the time difference, Rodinova has come back charged with energy and inspiration – and with orders for hot sauces that will very soon be landing on the American market.
"The competition is enormous, but that really motivates me, because the path we've taken is a niche one for Bulgaria – though not for the global market. And what we do is quite different. Very few companies worldwide have closed the production cycle – from seed to finished product. We go even further: before the seed, we start by caring for the soil. The peppers we grow can be picked and eaten straight away, without even washing them," says 27-year-old Slavena.
She has been CEO of the family business for the past four years, and in that time the family farm has grown from 900 square metres to 16 decares (1.6 hectares), revenue has risen from 80,000 BGN in 2019 to 628,000 BGN in 2023, and the Hot Farm portfolio now includes more than 80 products. Slavena is also the face of the company on social media, where she has more than 115,000 followers in total – all of which earned her a well-deserved place in the 2023 class of the "30 Under 30" list and the 2024 class of "30 Under 30" Europe."
You can read the full Forbes Bulgaria article here.
