In May 1910, Ferdinand had just completed his inspection of the rose gardens. By this time, Bulgaria had built an industrial chain around roses with an annual output value as high as 1.6 billion levs (£64 million).
With 470,000 workers in supporting industries and nearly 100 million levs in annual tax revenue for Bulgaria's treasury, the rose industry had become one of Bulgaria's pillar industries!
Its main products included dried buds, dried petals, dried flowers, pickled products, sugared roses, rose jam, rosewater, rose drinks, rose wine, rose extract, rose essential oil, and more.
Rose products were widely used in the catering industry, cosmetics industry, pharmaceutical industry, and elsewhere.
For example, they served as main ingredients or additives in jelly, floral water, toner, vanishing cream, balm, moisturizing lotion, skin toner, face masks, facial cleanser, shampoo, shampoo paste, conditioner, soap, hair cream, hair gel, mousse, hair dye, cold-wave solution, talcum powder, prickly heat powder, theatrical greasepaint, and so on.
Even high-end cigarettes commonly used rose essential oil as an additive!
After all, this was an era without artificially synthesized essences or fragrances, and there were no other large-scale producers capable of competing with Bulgaria. Demand for rose essential oil on the market was also growing day by day!
Seeing all this, Ferdinand could not help but feel a swell of pride. Bulgaria's rose industry chain had now surpassed even that of later generations.
Many things that had failed to become popular in later generations, such as rose drinks and rose wine, had now spread far and wide as well.
Rose soda had already become an indispensable drink in the lives of Bulgarians, and it was also the best-selling beverage on the European continent!
After all, there were still no formidable competitors in this era. Unlike in later generations, when rose drinks had