Rose oil, known as the queen of oils, is one of the most beloved essential oils in the world. Its luxurious aroma, gentle nature, and ties to love and romance are some of the many reasons Rose is a highly sought-after oil.  

Rose has grown in Bulgaria—the largest producer of rose essential oil—for over 200 years. Because of its long growing history and mild winters, sandy soil, and heavy spring rains, Bulgaria is the perfect place to grow and harvest the roses. The rose cuttings are planted in the autumn and are ready to be picked in May or June. The flowers are picked by hand early in the morning and distilled later the same day in order to capture a higher volume of oil from the delicate petals.  

To collect rose essential oil as efficiently as possible and ensure doTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing Guiding Principles are being upheld, doTERRA built a rose distillery in the town of Shipka, Bulgaria—an area known as The Valley of the Roses. The Terra Roza distillery began operations in May 2020 and was built as an extension of the doTERRA Esseterre Bulgaria operation.   

Commenting on the significance of Terra Roza, Tim Valeniner, Vice President of Global Strategic Sourcing at doTERRA, said, “Bulgaria has such a rich history of producing beautiful rose oil from the Damask rose. It’s a great privilege to now have another doTERRA-owned and operated Esseterre distillery working with small farmers producing the crown jewel of Bulgarian essential oils.” 

To learn more about doTERRA’s sourcing efforts in Bulgaria, visit: https://media.doterra.com/us/en/brochures/co-impact-brochure-bulgaria.pdf.