Driven by the relentless ambition of its founder, Krasen Kyurkchiev, Ficosota continues to push into new markets, pursue innovation, and chase an audacious goal: building a Bulgarian brand wo
Krasen Kyurkchiev, the founder of Ficosota, has never been one to stand still. “The rules of the game are simple: the moment you stop moving forward, you start losing,” he says in an episode of our Forbes Talks video podcast. “If you believe there’s no room for growth, no need to increase market share, innovate, or expand, then you’re already on the way down.”
That mindset has propelled Ficosota’s growth for more than three decades. In 2020, after years of building a joint business empire, Krasen and his brother, Zhechko, decided to take separate paths. Krasen focused on fast-moving consumer goods, while Zhechko took charge of electric water heaters and heating appliances under the Tesy brand. “It proved to be the right decision,” says Kyurkchiev. “Without formally dividing ownership and relying on the trust between us, we ended up creating two fundamentally different companies.”
Under his leadership, Ficosota is on track to generate €250 million in revenue in 2026, with sales spanning 90 markets worldwide. The company’s portfolio now includes three brands—out of a total of fifteen—that each generate more than €50 million in annual revenue: Savex, Semana, and Maretti Bruschette.
Despite the company’s scale, Kyurkchiev remains deeply involved in day-to-day decision-making—more so now than in recent years. “For a long time, I took pride in the fact that my phone rarely rang,” he says. “To me, it was proof that the organization no longer depended on its founder. Today, however, I’m much more engaged because my role is to fully understand the company’s strengths and help move it to the next stage of development.”
Kyurkchiev calls his next growth chapter “Ficosota 3.0.” The strategy centers on accelerated international expansion, stronger and more experienced local management teams, and manufacturing operations beyond Bulgaria’s borders.
At the heart of the plan lies an ambitious vision: creating the first multi-billion-euro consumer brand to emerge from Eastern Europe.
“Unfortunately, there still isn’t one,” says Kyurkchiev. “Perhaps the closest examples are a few regional vodka brands that were eventually acquired by multinational corporations. Eastern Europe has produced many powerful regional brands, but very few with truly global reach.”
The Ficosota founder speaks openly about his aspiration to secure meaningful market positions across “roughly half of the world.” Among the company’s 90 markets, its largest by volume after Bulgaria are Germany, Poland, Romania, and the United States.
“Our detergent brands hold strong double-digit market shares in 10 to 12 countries, which makes us a unique success story in Eastern Europe,” he says. “And on the food side, we are seeing remarkable growth across international markets.”
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