Meet our Member: Pirin Pellet, 20 years of ENplus® quality from the Pirin Mountains
In this edition of Meet our Members, Lino Leonardo Piloni, the founder of Pirin Pellet shares how the Razlog-based producer has spent two decades supplying ENplus® certified wood pellets for heating, built on careful raw-material selection and year-round reliability. He explains why EU requirements are pushing pellet producers to manage data and certified supply chains as rigorously as product performance, and outlines the company’s next steps: modernising the plant and developing cogeneration to boost efficiency and sustainability.
Where are you based?
Our factory is located in the town of Razlog, in southwest Bulgaria at the foot of the Pirin Mountains (Blagoevgrad region).
What does your company do?
Pirin Pellet has been producing wood pellets for heating for 20 years. From the start, we have placed importance on the quality of our raw materials because they characterise and influence the final product.
What do you do?
I am the founder and I am still leading the project after more than 20 years.
How is your team structured?
The team has approximately 45 people. About 15 people handle office work, sales, and deliveries, while the remainder handle production and the mechanics that ensure the factory’s operation and safety.
What value do your products and/or services bring to your customers?
We produce ENplus® certified pellets, ensuring our customers are using a quality product and can find it available year-round.
Do they contribute to sustainability, efficiency, or innovation?
Certainly, our sector, in addition to being the natural evolution of the use of firewood for heating, also contributes to sustainability in an important way through reliable quality standards and responsible sourcing.
How does EU policy impact your business?
Today a pellet producer cannot simply "make pellets". We increasingly need to manage data and certified supply chains, because transparency of origin has become as important as the calorific value of the product itself.
What key regulations influence your operations or growth?
ENplus® certification certainly represents the main quality standard for pellets. And then, of course, the EU regulations as a general framework (RED III and EUDR). From experience, following European regulations ensures you deliver a safe, high-quality product to end consumers.
What motivated you to join Bioenergy Europe?
We met the Bioenergy team through our ENplus® certification body and immediately realised their importance and professionalism. It’s important for a major sector like ours to have a healthy, competent, and young organisation that regularly organises meetings and workshops, both in person and online, to keep the entire community updated. Their network offers numerous opportunities to exchange information and collaborate with other members.
How does membership support your goals and industry engagement?
First and foremost, with timely information. On top of that, the support they offer through their entire team, which is truly highly trained and professional.
What’s next for your company?
We are a solid reality even if we rely only on our own strengths. Our main objectives for the future are to modernise our plant to improve efficiency and to build a cogeneration plant to make us even more sustainable and competitive.
