From Strashimirovo to "30 Under 30" Europe – with spice in our hearts!
We're thrilled to tell you about the brightest recognition of our tireless work to date: Slavena Rodinova has been named in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list of Europe's most outstanding young people, organised by Forbes for the 9th time.
The 2024 selection features 300 young people under the age of 30 from across Europe – and only 3 of them are Bulgarian.
Forbes Bulgaria: "Rodinova and Karakashyan are also part of the Bulgarian '30 Under 30' selection. Slavena Rodinova has taken over the development of the family hot pepper farm founded by her father. Slavena is in charge of sales, marketing, advertising, partner relations and the vision of the Hot Farm brand. She has expanded the farm from 900 sq m to 16 decares (1.6 hectares) today, found distributors in Poland and China, and revenue has grown several times over. The Hot Farm portfolio now includes over 40 products. Hot Farm has certified the hottest Bulgarian pepper, 'Bulgarian Sense', and offers a cayenne-based food supplement."
Kosta Karakashyan is a director, producer and choreographer who combines art and activism. He is one of the creators of the first impactful immersive performances in Bulgaria, staged at locations such as the Gabrovo landfill site and the HRC Culinary Academy. Karakashyan is the founder of the production company Studio Karakashyan and the dance company Karakashyan & Artists. In 2019, his dance documentary WAITING FOR COLOR, about the persecution of LGBTI+ people in Chechnya, was selected for more than 30 festivals around the world. He also created the film Surrender and the dance film "In Her Skin", co-directed with Antonia Georgieva.
Stoyan Stoyanov is a designer, screenwriter and director. He is a former designer on "Cyberpunk 2077", a game with more than 20 million copies sold. He is currently game director at Jyamma Games, a Milan-based AA studio with a team of 55. The company has a multi-million partnership with SEGA and the backing of the Italian government.
Slavena herself shared some inspiring words about the recognition: "It is with great excitement, happiness and gratitude that I share with you that I am part of the Forbes '30 Under 30' Europe selection for 2024! The world we live in today is full of opportunity. An ordinary girl from the village of Strashimirovo, together with her family, can build a successful business growing hot peppers and making spicy products in just a few years. When I first set out on my path – devoted entirely to the farm at first, spending all my time there so I could get to know every part of the process of creating a product, from a tiny seed to its launch – many people said there wasn't much point in what I was doing with this niche business. And that 'a young girl has far more potential than to be dealing with farming and hot peppers...' Every single effort, then and now, has been more than worth it! I have always believed very strongly in the future of Hot Farm and in the team behind it. Thank you to everyone who is part of our big spicy family!
This is tremendous validation for the path Hot Farm is on, and for female entrepreneurship in Bulgaria.
Events are outpacing our plans, but Hot Farm Global is setting out on its journey."
"The under-30 community also has enormous economic influence
One thing is unmistakable in the European entrepreneurial landscape of 2024: the influence and power of young people have never been clearer."
bTV, on the news story covering "30 Under 30" Europe