They say that the best known Bulgarian products for the Slovaks are two brandies, Pliska and Preslav. Those who visited Bulgarian resorts during the socialism era even claim that these two liqueurs were on the top of the souvenir shopping list of Slovak holiday-makers to smuggle home.

The Prešov based Buldem-exports, imports ltd. is their sole Slovak market distributor. It specialises in imports and distribution of exclusive Bulgarian food products. This company interfaces directly with producers and binds some imports to exports of Slovak products.

"We sell some 120 thousand bottles of Pliska, Pliska 1300, Preslav and Big Preslav annually. It is sadly a very low volume. Larger import volumes of Bulgarian brandies and wines are restricted by an import quota that has not changed over the past years. This quota allows only 500 hl of liqueur and wine to be imported from Bulgaria. This quota could be four times higher. Liquor imports from EU and EFTA countries are not limited, their only restriction is a twelve per cent custom duty. Yet we are affected both by the quota and the preferential twelve per cent custom duty," says Nikolaj Dimitrov, Buldem-exports, imports, ltd. president, who left Varna to live in Prešov with his Slovak wife twenty years ago.

The price for a half litre 80 proof Pliska is around 170 Slovak crowns. It sells well in Eastern Slovakia. It does not sell so good in Western Slovakia, where the Small Carpathians Brandy made in Pezinok is a strong competitor.

"Some physicians in Central Slovakia recommend Pliska to their patients as a vessel dilatation medicine. The Big Preslav is able to compete with French cognacs and it has no Slovak competition. I should say, however, that the Slovak market is not ready to expect quality, as the price remains to be a decisive criterion. When we want to import a bottle of Pliska to Slovakia, we must pay the custom duty, that would buy us another bottle of the same Pliska," claims Nikolaj Dimitrov.

His company, owned and managed by Slovaks of Bulgarian origin, attempts also to make a break-through by Bulgarian Ciociosan wine vermouths. Owing to their quality they are conceived as a strong competition of the Italian Cinzano and Garonne, flavoured and bottled in Slovakia. Imports of Bulgarian vermouths does not fall under the quota restriction and is charged a sixteen per cent custom duty. Despite a higher custom duty by 6% compared with the EU custom duty on vermouth imports they sell at a relatively low price.

The Buldem is also an exclusive importer of concentrated lemon juice Vital from the town of Prvomaj, district Plovdiv, competing Hungarian and Greek juices.

The only Slovak product imported to Bulgaria is mustard produced by St. Nicolaus a.s., based in Liptovský Mikuláš. It is shipped in 200 kg barrels to their trade partner Vital, that distributes the mustard to the retail stores as "the Czech" mustard.

"You see, if the label claimed Slovak origin of the mustard, ninety-one per cent of Bulgarians would think it was imported from Slovenia. The Slovaks are conceived in Bulgaria as Czechs. We had a break-through with mustard imports to Bulgaria last year. Our initial imports were 10 tons, and this year a 60 ton volume is planned to be exported for the Makro supermarket network," adds Nikolaj Dimitrov.

According to this businessman it is difficult to find a Slovak export item of a better quality and the same price as the Bulgarian one, which has adverse effect on Slovak exports to Bulgaria.

Slovak Trade FORUM