Boyan Lazarov and his unconventional craft gin business idea

Craft beverage culture in Bulgaria has gained particular popularity in recent years. Fans of homemade beer, for example, have started their own breweries, and Economic.bg has already told you several interesting stories related to craft beer in this country. One of them was about a family that replaced London with Stara Zagora in order to dedicate themselves to home brewing and passing on their knowledge to the next generations.

Today, however, we introduce you to Boyan Lazarov, who has had an even more unusual idea. He graduated with a degree in Business Information Technology in the Netherlands, and for most of his professional career, he’s worked as a product and process manager in IT companies.

But then in 2019, he decided to start producing craft gins.

Why shouldn't a distillery that sells innovative products open in Bulgaria as well? I started actively researching the market, and what was needed to realize such a project", Boyan shared in a conversation with Economic.bg.

Due to the COVID pandemic, the realization of his idea was delayed and only in early 2023 he managed to create the first gins - inspired by video games at that. The beverage production was outsourced to a licensed distillery in Isperih.

Boyan's big goal, however, is to open a micro-distillery in the center of Sofia, which will become a tourist attraction and a gin school for amateurs.

If you want to bottle alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria, you don’t need to have a distillery. It is enough to have a tax warehouse that is registered with the Customs Agency, which accordingly provides the excise stamps and monitors the amount of alcohol that comes out of the warehouse.

My ultimate goal is to open a craft micro-distillery in Sofia. The aim is to make it into a tourist attraction – it should look presentable, and not just like a warehouse. Separately, I plan to organize various tours and workshops on the territory of the micro-distillery", says Boyan Lazarov.

The first gin production inspired by video games

Boyan Lazarov says that he does not want to stick with just one product, but to offer new ones to the market every year. Each of his gins will be inspired by a different aspect of life.

Actually, his Potion Distillery brand unites under its umbrella various craft liquor products intended for a more niche audience. The first line of gins, for example, was inspired by video games and the second one by witchcraft.

If you've ever played video games, you can't help but recognize that."

The first sales were launched at the Street Gin & Prosecco Festival in the bohemian district of Kapana in Plovdiv.

There, I talked to the people and heard their opinion about the flavors and the brand. I've been to four festivals so far, and over 80% of people said they would consume this.'

The next step towards the full realization of Boyan's business idea is to find a wider market. For the time being, gin afficionados can find the craft brand’s production on the company’s website as well as on several online shops.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov