Prisoners at a Bulgarian mountain jail make some of the country's best cheese and yogurt. About 15 inmates work at the Smolyan prison dairy tucked away in the Rhodope mountains. The cheese sells out fast at specialty shops because people love the taste.
Georgi Filyanov serves time for drug dealing but found purpose working with milk and cheese. The 30-year-old prisoner earned early release through his dairy work. He says the job keeps him busy without being too tough or too easy.
Former prison director Hristo Solakov started the dairy project back in 2010. He wanted inmates to learn skills for life after prison. The prisoners handle everything from caring for goats and cows to making the final cheese products.
The dairy stands out because Bulgaria has few programs like this one. Inmates earn several hundred euros monthly and can leave prison early for good work. Poor conditions plague most Bulgarian prisons but Smolyan breaks that pattern.
Demand for the prison cheese keeps growing faster than production can match. Half the cheese goes to other Bulgarian jails and the rest hits local markets. The products cost more than regular cheese because they contain no artificial preservatives. Some former inmates have opened their dairy businesses after release. Pavel tends the goat herd on mountain meadows near the Greek border but never thinks about escaping.
Georgi Filyanov serves time for drug dealing but found purpose working with milk and cheese. The 30-year-old prisoner earned early release through his dairy work. He says the job keeps him busy without being too tough or too easy.
Former prison director Hristo Solakov started the dairy project back in 2010. He wanted inmates to learn skills for life after prison. The prisoners handle everything from caring for goats and cows to making the final cheese products.
The dairy stands out because Bulgaria has few programs like this one. Inmates earn several hundred euros monthly and can leave prison early for good work. Poor conditions plague most Bulgarian prisons but Smolyan breaks that pattern.
Demand for the prison cheese keeps growing faster than production can match. Half the cheese goes to other Bulgarian jails and the rest hits local markets. The products cost more than regular cheese because they contain no artificial preservatives. Some former inmates have opened their dairy businesses after release. Pavel tends the goat herd on mountain meadows near the Greek border but never thinks about escaping.
