Expats in Bulgaria – Meet Nilsu Emre

We had a chat with Nilsu Emre to find out more about why, how and when she decided to move to Bulgaria and how she feels about the country!

Can you tell us about yourself a little bit?

I am from Istanbul, Turkey. I currently live in Dobrich, Bulgaria. We work together with my husband. We are basically producing mens shoes. It is a family business so we pretty much do everything that business involves altogether with him. We have got 2 kids. They go to school in Dobrich. Well, i am also a writer; i write history and travel articles in my spare times. And last year my first book was published.

Wow.. Congratulations… You sound very busy. When did you first visit Bulgaria?

I first came to Bulgaria in 2006 just for a touristic visit at that time.

How did you move here?

I was born in Istanbul and actually had a pretty happy life and set-up there. I got married in 2006. My husband established his business here in Bulgaria, in the city of Dobrich. At first i was just visiting him over the weekends (almost every weekend by bus!) going back to work early on Monday mornings (from Varna to Istanbul). This went on like that until the year 2011. When my son was born in 2011 i decided to move here for good. This is when i started to work together with my husband in our shoe business.

Do you speak Bulgarian?

Yes, i speak something – at least very close to it 😊 – however the native people around me do not seem to understand my Bulgarian so well most of the time (!) 😊 I speak Turkish, English and a little bit of German but to be honest that is one difficult language you guys definitely have here !

Name 3 things you love about Bulgaria

I am a traveller and i write travel guides and articles for Turkish magazines myself. I do love to travel and I absolutely love to be around the Black Sea Coast in Summer time.I have been to all the best beaches such as the Golden Sands, Albena or Burgas here and totally liked all of them. Not maybe the wavy sea but the vibe and the energy is so good and it is so much fun to be here on especially Summer weekends. It is a total destruction from work and currently even from the pandemia of course! We are so lucky to have all of it so near our house (only a 35 minute drive) We used to love it with my husband when we were in our 20’s to hang around there before our kids were born. And now it is still a best spot for the entire family to spend a quality time together by the sea in Spring and Summer.

Second best thing here is definitely the skiing experience. I have been to all mountains but have to admit that Bansko is the most family-friendly destination among them.

Third best thing in Bulgaria is the lack of traffic; lack of dispute, stress and over-population which was something we had had enough of in Istanbul. Here we have so many parks around us and many quiet places to spend time outdoors which truly improves the quality of life for all the members of our family.

(And have i mentioned the beer?! Last but not the least, your local brands rock in that field i should say:)

Tell us Abour Your Company: VES- EMRELINI Shoes

Our company VES Ltd. is a 27-year-old shoe production company mainly focused on shoes, boots, and sandals for men. We participate in worldwide shoe fairs and exhibitions every year to keep up with all recent developments in the field. We have our own brand which is known as “EMRELINI” in Europe. We have been working with countries such as Italy, Germany, France, Turkey and USA.

The quality of the company’s products have gained reputation and confidence of the world’s well-known shoe companies, which VES Ltd. has been collaborating with, as a long-term partner. We export shoes to worldwide brands such as Jack Wolfskin, Bata, Clarks, Igi&Co, Enval Soft, Primigi, Joseph Seibel, and Hush Puppies.

Our company was rewarded as the “Employer of the Year – 2014” by the Bulgarian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

With all that experience lately we have got specialized within the production area of Mens’ Safety and Comfort Shoes, manufacturing double density polyurethane shoes with our two robots and automized machinery. So we may say, as we moved here as a family we continued to invest in this business further and still have been proudly offering employment opportunities for the habitants of the city we live in.