Mariana Roder

Mariana graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Computer Science at the American University in Blagoevgrad, followed by a Master's degree in Computer Science in Switzerland. She specialized in the field of medicine and has worked as an optical biometer programmer in the capital of Switzerland.

However, her love for the Rhodopes and her desire to try something with her own hands bring her back to her home town Smolyan, where Mariana begins to sew clothes from merino wool, naming the company after her great-grandmother, Nanka. There she works for the development of the region, supporting the Purification project and organizing a business course for start-up entrepreneurs together with the America for Bulgaria Foundation. She also organizes a river cleanup, visiting schools for a talk on nature pollution, a mini film festival and volunteers at a dog shelter.