Vratsa has birthed two manufacturers of European scale. One from the 19th century; the other building the future today. There is a story from our city that deserves to be told—a story of vision, precision, and world-class craftsmanship.
In 1859, Mito Orozov was born in Vratsa. Despite being orphaned early, he opened his own workshop at age 17. Without a university degree or inheritance, he used only his hands and uncompromising standards to create 25 models of world-class carriages and cabriolets. His work was so exceptional that at the 1907 Balkan Exhibition in London, he won gold and silver medals.
Among those impressed was Henry Ford. Struck by Orozov’s technical ingenuity, Ford began an active correspondence with the Bulgarian craftsman, exchanging over 200 letters and telegrams. Ford even proposed that Orozov’s factory produce the bodies for the famous Ford Model T. While Orozov declined, feeling his factory wasn’t yet ready for such mass production, Ford later called him “the greatest industrial genius I have ever met”.
Today, more than a century later, that same DNA lives on in the Western Industrial Zone of Vratsa at Lesto Product. Founded in 1993, Lesto Product mirrors Orozov’s commitment to quality. Just as Orozov imported steel from England and Germany, we invest in the finest European equipment to deliver precision without compromise.
On World Heritage Day, we celebrate this spirit. We don’t wait for the world to come to us – we deliver across Europe, building partnerships grounded in reliability and European-scale quality.
