Dear Friends,
February has a way of nudging us toward sweetness. Toward romantic gestures, gifts, and the small rituals we use to say I care. In Bulgaria, the month opens with St. Haralambos Day, traditionally associated with beekeepers and honey – a quiet nod to the people who care for bees and for the balance that keeps food on our tables.
Further west, St. Valentine is better known as the patron saint of lovers. Less known is his connection to beekeepers as well. Different traditions, same idea: care that sustains life, often without drawing attention to itself.
You’ll find plenty of bees in this issue. Real ones – pollinators, makers of nectar, quiet workers behind the food we take for granted. And metaphorical ones, too: the Spelling Bee kids who step onto a stage with words, nerves, and a lot of courage.
You’ll also meet the people who care for them. An entrepreneur using technology to make the journey of honey transparent, from hive to jar. A beekeeper who has turned life with bees into a place for learning, conversation, and slow travel. Business leaders whose decisions ease everyday life in ways we often don’t stop to notice. Teachers, mentors, parents.
If there’s a love story running through these pages, it’s not the loud kind. It’s the kind rooted in care that lasts, in consistency, in work that sustains life and doesn’t wait for a special occasion.
Read on – or listen in, if that’s your thing.
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Sergey Petrov, the Engineer Who Wants to Teach Bees to Speak
What began as a search for real honey became a hands-on mission to back Bulgarian beekeepers, shorten the chain between hive and table, and rebuild trust, jar by jar.
READ OR LISTEN
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Love at First Buzz: Nadejda Ivanova and a Life Shaped by Bees
One look inside a beehive quietly rerouted Nadejda’s life, leading her to build a place shaped by bees and their nectar – where hospitality and a slower pace come naturally.
READ OR LISTEN
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Vanya Manova: Big Changes Happen through Small, Well-Chosen Actions
What do school lunches, neighborhood bakeries, and digital payments have in common? For Vanya Manova, they’re all places where leadership shows up in small, deliberate choices. In this Q&A, she reflects on technology with a human purpose, partnerships that go beyond marketing, and why lasting impact is built quietly, step by step.
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A Hive on the Roof, Honey in the Jar
Last year, something delightfully unexpected happened on the roof of Office Building 4 at Sofia Business Park. Bees moved in. Not as a symbol of hustle or teamwork. Actual bees.
With a professional beekeeper looking after them, three hives produced nearly 30 kilograms of honey in their very first year. In the city. Not just surviving – thriving.
“The bees are doing great,” says Ekaterina Radeva, who oversees Asset Management and ESG initiatives at Sofia Business Park. As it turns out, well-kept urban green spaces and diverse plant life can be a safer, cleaner haven than fields shaped by intensive agriculture. Sometimes, the city is the better choice.
This rooftop hive is sustainability you can taste. Practical. Purposeful. And unexpectedly sweet. It’s part of Sofia Business Park’s vision of becoming a true green “city within a city,” a place where business doesn’t edge life out, but leaves room for it to flourish. When there are bees above and honey in the jars below, it’s clear someone was thinking beyond square meters and straight into the future. 🐝
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The Sound of Letters, the Taste of Apples: Inside Bulgaria’s Spelling Bee
It starts like a superhero origin story: a quiet room, a brave kid, and a word waiting to be spelled. In the Spelling Bee, courage shows up in unexpected costumes – and sometimes it smells like apples.
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If you happen to have forgotten…
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If Valentine’s Day snuck up on you this year, don’t panic. It happens to the best of us.
Istinski Med has done the thinking for you, with a special selection of honey and honey treats that feel thoughtful, not last-minute. No clichés, no wilting flowers – just something sweet, beautiful, and genuinely useful.
Perfect for someone you love, someone you want to surprise… or for that quiet moment when you decide to treat yourself.
Love is sweet. Honey is sweeter.
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Sending warmest regards,
The America for Bulgaria Foundation team
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