Boyan and his buyers travel to trading centers in Bulgaria's mountain villages to purchase their wool. The wool comes mostly from small family-owned flocks. Many households own only a handful of sheep.

This is a big change from the communist era, when state-owned textile mills obtained their wool from huge state-owned agricultural collectives. The collectives collapsed with the rest of the communist system, and the giant flocks of sheep were either sold for meat or exported.

Kirsten Stockman said, "We saw family production at work in the mountain village of Bansko. This town in the Pirin mountains is one of the places where Boyan goes to buy his wool."

"We sat on the balcony of our inn and watched as the sheep and goats and cows were herded into the narrow town streets at the end of the day. Like school children who know their way home, the animals turned into their own courtyards and sheds as the flock passed by."

Small family herds are better environmentally - because the sheep are raised in pristine mountain settings with no need for industrial feeds and fertilizers. One of our Bulgarian friends said, "These sheep are living almost in paradise."