© European Union, 2025
Bulgarian producer Albina Yasinskaya, who runs Rozino Organic Farm in the Rose Valley, has been named Best Female Organic Producer for 2025 at the European Union (EU) Organic Awards. The winners of the fourth edition of the awards were announced on 25 September by the European Commission (EC) on its official website.
This year’s winners were recognized for innovative and sustainable projects across the organic value chain in Europe. Their work demonstrates how organic farming can create added value, build communities and jobs in rural areas, advance sustainability goals, and strengthen resilient, future-oriented food systems. The EU’s proposed Common Agricultural Policy continues to provide strong support for organic farming to ensure the sector grows and thrives, the EC noted.
Yasinskaya’s farm, Bulgaria’s first ESG-certified, operates a closed production cycle from dairy and meat to processing. The farm applies permaculture, a seasonal production strategy and zero-waste principles, supports the local community, and is seen as a national trendsetter in sustainable organic farming.
The award for Best Male Organic Producer went to Lieven Devreese from Belgium, who runs Het Polderveld Farm, a community-supported agriculture model supplying 150 families and a local hospital with organic food, while integrating ecological, social and economic sustainability. The farm champions fair wages, therapeutic activities for psychiatric patients to engage in monthly farming activities, offering therapeutic and social benefits, and consumer participation, serving as a replicable model of community-centred organic farming across the EU.
This year’s awards for the best small and medium-sized organic food processor went to Austria, and the best organic food retailer was from Germany. The Best Organic Restaurant/Food Service award went to Peskesi in Greece, while the Best Organic City was Valpacos in Portugal. The Best Organic Region award went to Voru County in Estonia.
More than 100 applications were received from across the EU for this year's edition, with 21 candidates shortlisted from 13 countries. The EU Organic Awards feature 6 categories and 7 individual awards, recognizing innovative, sustainable, and inspiring projects that add significant value to organic production and consumption. The awards are organised by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA, and IFOAM Organics Europe, with support from the European Parliament and the Council.
September 23 is celebrated as EU Organic Farming Day, a joint initiative of the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission, launched in 2021.