Precious oil extracted from bulgaria and roses is sourced by the worlds leading perfume makers from the poorest country in the european union. But increasingly people here are finding ways to claim a share of the money that can be made from their valets fragrant resource. Its 5 oclock in the morning. Red custody is setting off for her job in the flower fields. Her husband and 2 children are still asleep. Its a half hour walk from her home in the small village of stiletto volt to the rose field where she works as a picker. Or overbought mcarthur when we hear the word rose we immediately think of vogue area its my country my home my family and even if life doesnt look so rosy the rose is the symbol of focus area you need to fill it up while got it. Right kind loves getting up early and arriving at the rose field in the freshness of the morning. Shes always the 1st to arrive. The 39 year old always looks forward to the harvest in may and june the 3 week window is a special time of year. I mean im from the countryside as a child i grew up with a view wanted to mountain ranges of the Balkan Mountains and the struggle to gore our border all the whole thought of one another i feel at one with nature. I carry it in my heart. Through it although both. The a lot of wealth of that will the 2 mountain ranges and close the valley to the north and south creating cool nights and high humidity ideal conditions to bring out the roses heady scent. You cant describe the fragrance its a unique inspiring scent with its freshness and energy. When im out here in the rose fields i feel light and forget about anything negative in my life. Through. Red capeks the flowers at their base they have to be removed at exactly the right time not too early or late in their bloom redken knows exactly which ones she can pick and which ones to leave for another day shes been taking for many years and isnt deterred by the tough conditions from the doctor but im a simple homemaker from the village im not spoiled or afraid of hard work all of the bull the boys its got them all the bother im used to rural life and cant sit down at home doing nothing at all roast picking isnt my profession. I only do it during the season so the more financial says vulnerable what i am in the. Morning sun coaxes the fragrance from the roses after midday it gets hotter and the oil begins to evaporate the petals grow limp. Red guy has to rush to complete her days harvest. Roses are the very reason beside the path of return to the valley. Me but with with notable the idea i was working abroad but i decided to return to borg area after friends encouraged me to try cultivating rosens. I like the idea so i started learning about agriculture with the monsters im a bit. All the way right about how are the roses looking today. Well its try. To cool while driving into a low number that you know we didnt water them this year. Looks to falling apart a good thing you came early. The program and ran with it this had lived in france for a number of years but the cost of living was high and it was hard to find work today he farms his own rose fields. Religion may often be something up the beach and im fond of my lad i like the peace and quiet i love working in agriculture will be me he and over the past few years ive discovered there are opportunities here to make a living. With us thats the only least i can build a future for myself here because the girl. Rucka has filled just one bag of rose flowers from business field the yield wont be any bigger today. Normally she manages to fill 3 or even 4 sacks by midday but today shes already picked all she can by 10 oclock. Other laborers appear to have a similarly meager crop. The workers are paid by weight one kilo earns them one loves the equivalent of 0. 50. For the cows are going to die but it took 46 bob already im sure i dont have any problems. With her but i have nothing to complain about what i wish there were more flowers or that it will. Be. 14 and a half kilos yes ok. Its. After toiling away for 5 hours that kind of takes home a little over 7 year i was rude to me and. The flowers travel in the opposite direction to tortilla a small town further east in rose valley. In a deliberate location in a picturesque setting. In. Doria is home to alexandra dragon of distillery. And this is where the blossoms that drag capek today end up Alexander Dragon of own is one of a total of 39. 00 distilleries operated in rose valley he used to make wine. Before switching to rose oil. Is this from a different field no these are left over from last night. The shore all that the rose has a very special significance to me personally. To show you its not just a business why not. Be equipped with that are still feet in the roses one of the natural wonders that bulgaria is famous for around the world cup. You put the sex over there. So there are more here. How many more of the bad is full. Of stuff it takes about 3 and a half tons of flowers to produce a single leader of distilled rows on all fronts for the distillation is a simple process the rose petals are placed in a vat with water which is heated to discharge low pressure steam through the flowers which in turn releases the essential oil into the vapor of the Oil Separates and floats to the surface of the water. So. Well for this that is the new problem. Distillery is built to perfection you know what i mean were very proud of it the prebuttal from good part Business Partners from france were here and said theyd rarely seen such a modern distillation facility in france you. See. Everything here is rust free and all the vapor passes through special softening equipment read it is 50 people all of our measuring instruments are exact. But we ourselves are the key to our success and everyone here is part of the team no one works for themselves our motto is together as one would remember. Although only designated employees are allowed to extract the rose oil bulgarias liquid gold its a question of responsibility alexandra dragon of clients include chanel and dior and other leaders of the global fragrance industry. Its believed autumn and merchants brought the damascus rose to bulgaria in the 18th century from syria. And today the rose is not the only flower that thrives in the valley its fertile soil also offers ideal conditions for the cultivation of poppies and lavender. When right because they found no returns home from the fields she still has a little time before her children arrive from School Records work as a picker is only a morning job and it never pays much. She once spent a season in germany picking strawberries every. Fall which will hold all to what most people go abroad to earn money in to improve their Living Standards all. Theyre often disappointed as they look for Job Opportunities and have to adapt to a new culture a new country there but all that really matters is in a piece its a pity that we cant find in a peace at home and have to go out into the world in search of security. And theres our nina smith going. The. Right kind is a trained cook but cant find work in rose valley her husband occasionally earn some money as a day laborer in construction they inherited their house. Redhead doesnt want to leave again her home and her family are more important to her than money she now knows. With its soft light and lush landscape rose valley is her home. Capturing the essence of that home in fine fragrances is what luke may have does for a living even as a child he had a very fine sense of smell today he has his own manufactory for him creating perfume is like composing music. Simple as that i would. Say it was a symphony consists of 7 main notes which when combined produce a melody. So the same is true of curfew making. But a perfume contain 3 to 400 notes. To give it all of its the fragrance creators job to combine all these notes. Like an orchestra conductor the most of these that is it not the supporting. It is. His wife marina is always the 1st to test a new fragrance or. Because now you like to try our new fragrance so a new mood its a somewhat sweet scent. Oh i can clearly detect the rose oil but its more intense dont you agree. With that its a scent for party girls. Go through is a vacation fragrance. Its lovely you can sense nature it smells like flowers after a rain shower. Look at the. Old you must be the center of rose oil from bulgaria is much more intense than oil from china turkey or other countries. Thats why its so sought after by a leading perfume mouses a small drop of rose oil and caps relates the fragrance and the more intense the fragrance the longer the central last rose or lose the very heart of a perfect him. He has developed his own line of perfectly fragrances designed with different types of women in mind. To get to some of the other thread when im in a good mood and Summer Holidays are on the horizon. I think of exotic beaches and sensual brazilian women but if you look at the prevent take a good time. And. If we create a fragrance that smells like the sea with exotic fruit nuances. Combined with a sweet floral scent. Then the result is inevitably a summary for a quote. Is. When putting together his compositions nuclear 1st needs to find the right bass note and hes in the Perfect Place to source it from his lab in cousin luck its just a 20 minute drive to alexander that i dont know if distillery into idea. But youll read all right here look me i can select exactly what he needs he samples the different grades of oils from different distilleries. Holders could almost all fit but all thats great youll need to walk its all the arm rose oil has components not found in other rows oils yeah but this is where its at all in addition to being used in fragrance rollers or oil is also diluted for use in food supplements medicine. And it helps against diabetes. That beautys growth within the middle of it lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure. And prevents stomach cancer the boba its good for the kidneys. So in a word rose or liz simply priceless that the law although most law if you go where you want your leader of rose oil sells abroad for about 6000 euros. Leukemia china doesnt have to pay that much but of course he inspects the quality of the new oil before deciding on a purchase. The better your beef with food. The. Fragrance creators around the world covet bulgarian rose oil. But demand always outstrip supply that drives prices up but the profits havent trickled down to the locals the gulf between rich and poor is wide and rose valley unemployment is high theres no stone jeff or the communist era when jobs were secure and many here were financially better off in the poorest of the poor are often from the roma ethnic minority. Many feel marginalized their plight ignored by the government. Theres little sense of Bulgarian National pride in their community and. In early june the people of cousin locke turn out to celebrate the rose harvest. Was the bulgarian president himself comes to join in the festivities. The highlight of the festival is the crowning of a local roads clear and a colorful parade through town it was. Members of the Roma Community do not generally attend such events. But in toria bros cultivation has succeeded in bridging the ethnic divide. Even though its our roma family who have been working on alexandre dragon of the rose fields for 15 years. Almost. A sin and his relatives are among the fastest pickers in the whole valley. Oleksandr do not enough supports the even us. Whenever he has work there his 1st choice because he knows he can rely on them if. They are you out of 8 there was a growing. With the harvest going you know you dont know what its going really well. And you my friends. For this part of the period for you know if that you are working hard some of you know what it would be a good as he gave up a theory that. The entire even the family is gathered here today because its sunday for us and its important that his children attend school during the week. And the political border into some of the if my kids have a better education then theyll have a better life and not just a military but anywhere in europe. And europe will only fare better if children have a better education they will feel a little bit but im going to do a little bit of. Good. I dont know why other roma dont want to work here or dont feel welcome here in rose valley. We have virtually no contact with such people i insist that our family works for a living that we dont beg and live honest lives everyone bears responsibility for themselves or. The even not feel fortunate that on extended that out and off employees then all year round not just during the rose picking. Theres always work to do the jobs and Financial Support he provides have given the family new opportunities. But this year they too are affected by the arid season today they finish work early there simply arent enough flowers in the room no one will cook grants not a whole lot. Of normally you could get more socks on to the scales in the same amount of time thats just the way it is this year the year old isnt great lamentable. Bra little bit of. The weather has impacted rose pickers and farmers alike this spring was cold and theres been too little sun and too much more easter during the harvest season conditions that have stunted the bushs growth. Most farmers cant afford irrigation systems. Promise a bit its hard to pick roads flowers today the yield is unsatisfying thats also the case for the pharma when it all is a bit like a chain. One of the but the chain has been torn apart but i think you know. If the flowers are too dry their oil content is low and they dont weigh as much for a red car that means filling the same sized sack requires the same amount of work but meals less pay. So. They look much you have i can see you tell me 7 happy lowers ok well you hope it. Gets to that. Individual. The trick worked when the petals are moist from the morning dew and the sack is full it weighs between 17 and 20 kilos you. Would end up seeing less but because of the weather conditions this year it weighs 15 kilos at the most of it because weve had such little rain. This season has also been more than disappointing for rose farmer beside pavlov. More going up with one of whenever. We had bad weather in early april the go move to the portly the governor the frost froze the bugs that were just developing them obviously if you see here in the combine instead of flowering theyre still buds you should give it to the family a bit if they dont they are thin and i expect our yield to be down by 50 to 60 percent this year. That will be where theyre going to be the 3rd to all she said within the model that will. Bisa is eager to get the last sacks of the day to the distillery as quickly as possible for him every kilo of paddles counts. The money he earns is the only way to ensure his independence as a rose farmer in the years to come. With. The promise of a Better Future in rose valley has turned this mother and daughter into a pair of early birds leanna and 14 year old catch. Have big plans they purchased a field and are cultivating their own roses keeping up my but yeah its a wonderful feeling to go to your own field and work on that. This is the 1st year where harvesting our own roses and were extremely glad that we planted our own fields again in brownstone i used to find it hard to get up early in the morning. But this year im really enjoying going out to my own rose field at 5 am in the autumn the severity of. Her to have tears are a half an hours walk from their village for 2 years they nursed their young plants this year they flower for the 1st time. Together with john as mother christina theyre bringing in their 1st harvest and their 1st earnings. Yesterday we picked 24 kilos but today we wont get as much it was very sunny yesterday. I brought sacks with me on video ram i think that back then i didnt. Know what. Your statistician dont got be damaging you the same words you played well got penis. Really good. Mostly yana and her mother are widowed the 3 generations of women have to fend for themselves they offer each other encourage meant especially when they face setbacks. The year we planted our seedlings i prayed they would turn out well the stand misoprostol out of the wood and we were lucky but they got off to a good start would be able to drift out of the woods in but spring at the rates that nice so that last year was so wet nothing but rain for 20 days so again we lost a lot of plants so we had to replace them. God is just for us but the same isnt always true of nature was your mother because of the flood which. Isnt. Such a has remained optimistic outside of school she likes being her own boss. I mean as much as i picture roses for neighbors for 45 years and enjoyed it i always dreamed of having my own rose fields when we had enough money it was exactly the right moment to start growing my own roses you need them for me this here is a dream come true no minds of the. The standard that the mormon status of. Liana used to be a Child Care Worker she received severance pay when her job was terminated she was tempted to spend the money but her daughter persuaded her to invest it in a rose field as a possible source of income. The center of roses the fresh air she was birdsong the view of the Balkan Mountains in the midst of nature but you know that there you can be feeling low and sad over most but all this brightens your mood and your heart feels joy out of the bag were pretty apt that sit. Blue skies as far as the eye can see. I love being out in. Initially the 3 women were ridiculed by many locals but this year they know they made the right decision. My sergeant will manage although into were no worse off than any of the families that do have managed and if now and im sure my father and grandfather are protecting us from above and giving us the strength to carry on a monument which it was at the bridge. They said what it means that these 2000 square meters are enough for one person but probably not more than that ill only know for sure once my bushes are as big as the ones a neighboring field. And im not sure how long my mother will be able to help him given her age. Of the river so im only counting on myself and my daughter someone just my help it will be enough to support my family the margins of my school but its an inch of what it is that actually. Kucha and her mother cant conceal their pride when they bring their days harvest to the weighing station in a kind of. Cancer did you. Happen to write a book with. Systems of mind theyre not discouraged that their debut yield isnt exactly abundant they didnt have High Expectations theyre just glad to be harvesting it all. With a little money theyve made kucha has been able to fulfill a big wish taking dance lessons and she likes showing off what shes learned. The rules. Dont have over to leave me taking roses im dancing and dont really have anything in common you wont. Know im nova scotia but they both give me the same. Elling thought it was just that well you know they make me feel alive thats just on the story put to them with the sunni sure. Today touches down scopus performing on the main square in cairo 5 events are held here every year during the rose harvest. A stage has been set up for local ensembles to show off their talents. As group is 1st up. Many people in rose valley are driven by a desire to make their dreams come true. Pavlov is no exception. He works hard to keep his dreams alive and has ambitions plans for the coming year hes not content just harvesting blossoms as a rose farmer should be so wants control of the entire process from cultivating the plants to oil extraction. Hes leased to plot and started a rose nursery. Before it looks a bit chaotic here but our seedlings are in these boxes and were getting them ready for next year before chief says all of the water since the harvest was poor this year the price of seedlings is going to go up significantly if the if the odd nick you get the perfect the set isnt just investing in seedlings next year he wants to begin extracting oil in his distillation thats. That of. My own distillery would ensure that even in years when the rose harvest is poor with i dont lose all my investment as a rose farmer all. Because when the rose yield is low the price of rose oil climbs so if i cant make proper tomorrows farming i can at least have an income from the distillation. Job with the me that. These are as motivated he feels confident that he is on track to becoming independent not just financially but also from the whims of the weather. The many locals in rows valley are trying to improve their lot and some have managed with income from the rose growing industry in carnival at the western edge of the valley many roma families no longer live in poverty. In. Iraq and this is where a san even though event his family left after a morning out picking roses theyve returned home to their neighborhood where families own their own homes and earn a regular income. Over. A sense family built the house themselves. All of the men know how to build. For generations live under one roof. Everyone sits down for a snack after the mornings work in the fields. And you know that city for the even us nothing is more important than spending time together on marco. The river goes a little. Over over that where they said your weve worked hard our whole lives with. That award its always been our goal and with them to settle down to a normal family life so to your little modesty of vision. The even all of us are a family who have worked hard to achieve a standard of living that sets them apart from most roma in bulgaria and unlike many roma they wouldnt dream of leaving they feel at home in bulgaria was that is the whole birth of a boy or girl lost the world were happy in is that you want that but if we dont face disrespect or repression with this maybe its true theres a lack of social integration but we havent encountered discrimination. May have ordered it. The family has lived here for more than 50 years. Not one of them has ever left rose valley. The 3 new rose farmers yanacocha and christina have also spent their entire lives in the valley. Every week they go to the small Russian Orthodox church and coloe family to pray for their roses and for the men they have lost. Our. Little young guy gets no state support but as a half orphan her daughter kucha is entitled to welfare payments. Pooled with the small pension her mother christina receives they manage to make ends meet. The only. Although their 1st harvest of roses hasnt been a bumper crop its 3 women are satisfied the earnings will allow them to buy a few things they wouldnt otherwise be able to afford but little more than that for the time being. Pushed to cut and lost her father 10 years ago he died of Heart Disease her mother cant offer her a carefree life but shes doing her best to secure cut his future. How long till schools out. Next week plus the following monday. After Summer Vacation will attend high school in the city liliana will be able to pay for her daughters bus rides with the money shes made from the rose harvest and perhaps even accommodation shes hopeful that her roses and her business will continue to flourish the sums that i will. I hope to stay healthy so i can continue looking after the rose field right to stand and that our yields improve in 2 or 3 years. My father always said the rose fields are a joint venture with nature youre not the one who determines its fate its nature is a long haul could. This year nature hasnt been kind to the roses and the many people whose livelihoods depend on them but in the village of tortilla theyre celebrating today nonetheless. Aleksandr diagonals has invited pickers rose farmers friends and acquaintances for a get together. That no matter how good or bad the season has been he wont let a bad year deprive him of the chance to throw a party it was going to be given the current commitment to meet red custom and her family are among the guests. As are even off and his family. Everyone is proud of the harvest of the roses and of the valley world famous for its fragrant flowers 2. Was. Was in addition to being a source of income for the roses are also a symbol of National Identity and an integral part of traditions and culture here in the valley was. Played. Was which is why for alexander that i got off a celebration isnt complete without folk music and dancers in traditional costumes. Was. For me its important to see my people happy even after a bad harvest of the what are you going with you know what im here at the table we can take stock of the season together discuss where we stand and what wed like to improve next year. This traditional celebration is part of our work were celebrating the end of the rose artist. Near the star. And no traditional bulgarian celebration would be complete without an appearance by the kooky these groups of dancers don intimidating masks and elaborate costumes driving away evil spirits with their loud bells and wooden sticks to invite good fortune for the gathered guests. The rose pickers and farmers hope the ritual will help improve the outlook for next years harvest. Last year was really tough for us rose pickers you cant help but feel dissatisfied but you also cant fight nature ill be back on the rose field next year. And bulgarias treasured flowers will bloom next year too when it does it will again awaken new hopes and dreams among the people of rose valley. Because. The top its own up for grabs. At the bottom its. Just one game left in the season new leg in hand the happy man again. Not taking time. Playing a champion. Needs. To get. On t. W. Who still needs the new law and journey across 4 Member States sons. Critics and advocates of the speak up joe what are people expecting. The law how is the e. U. Doing as the European Election approaches. 90 minutes on t. W. Earth. Home to millions of species a home worth saving. Heres what some of those are big changes and most start with small steps global ideas tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the. World like to use the term Climate Change to Green Energy Solutions and reforestation. They create interactive content teaching the next generation about Environmental Protection and will determined to build something here for the next Generation Global ideas the multimedia environment series on t. W. Us secretary of state mike pompei on has made a surprise visit to brussels where e. U. Officials have been trying to salvage a nuclear deal with iran washington wants the block to withdraw from the 2015 accord the e. U. Is top diplomat federica mochrie ni called on the u. S. And iran to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any military escalation in saudi arabia claims to have its