SOFIA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A series of international food exhibitions opened Wednesday in the Bulgarian capital, transforming Sofia's Inter Expo Center into a global showcase of flavors, innovations, and culinary traditions from around the world.
The event brings together five exhibitions dedicated to the food and beverage, meat, dairy, bakery, and wine industries. Covering 12,000 square meters, it features more than 400 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions.
For entrepreneur Malin Bistrin, who owns hotels and traditional restaurants in the mountain resort of Bansko, the exhibitions are both enjoyable and valuable. "I attend every year to gather ideas for hotel breakfasts and explore new meat products for my Balkan-style restaurant," he said, adding that the event offers a great opportunity to meet peers and exchange ideas.
At the opening ceremony, Bulgaria's Minister of Agriculture and Food Georgi Tahov said the food industry is a key pillar of the national economy, with about 6,000 companies employing nearly 90,000 people.
Local entrepreneur Margarita Shestashka, manager of an ice cream company, said she has been producing Italian-style ice cream for two years and joined the event to seek new partners. "There is interest," she told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, Miroslav Haralampiev's company demonstrated how robots could replace human labor in the food industry. "Within two or three hours of the opening, we received over 15 inquiries, mostly about automation and robotics solutions," he said.
The exhibitions also include a program of about 30 events, such as the International Pizza Championship and the Food and Health Forum. ■