In a country where they’ve been making olive oil for thousands of years, producers in Turkey’s grove-covered Ayvalik region believe theirs is among the very best.

Ayvalık

Ayvalik, located on Turkey's northwestern Aegean coast, is renowned for its extensive olive groves and high-quality olive oil production. Approximately 41% of the region is covered in olive trees, some of which have been producing olives for centuries. The area's unique climate and soil contribute to the distinctiveness of its olive oil, which is regularly ranked among the best in the world.

Local producers, such as Cenk Aydogan, have expanded operations significantly, with hundreds of thousands of trees and large-scale annual production. Despite modern advancements in processing, the connection to tradition and the land remains strong, with many viewing olive oil production as a contribution to the region's heritage rather than just a business.

Turkey’s ‘immortal’ olive trees producing some of finest olive oil

These are the olive trees of Ayvalik. Situated on Turkey's northwestern Aegean coast, this region produces some of the finest olive oil in the world. The land and the soil and the sun here is quite unique. That's Cenk Aydogan and he loves olive oil. He even put off retirement and moved to this area so that he can continue to work among the leaves. And there's plenty on offer here, because a whopping 41% of Ayvalik is covered in olive groves. Olive trees are immortal, olive is immortal. They produce 100 years, 200 years, 500 years. And don't bother speaking ill of the trees, Cenk won't stand for it. It's a very clever tree by the way. If it thinks there is a drought or there is something wrong, it first drops the olives, then leaves, then branches, to keep the root healthy. They've been making olive oil here in Turkey for thousands of years and it's regularly ranked in the top five olive oil producing countries worldwide. Cenk's company is producing it on a massive scale. It has roughly 350,000 trees in the area, planting 150,000 in the last 15 years alone. Our overall operation is around 25,000 tonnes of olive oil a year. In Ayvalik town there are several reminders of the region's long-standing link to olive oil. Former factories are now iconic landmarks. And while processing facilities are rather more modern looking nowadays, Cenk believes that what comes out of them remains unbeatable. It is not something about business, it's not something about making profit. We are doing something good for this region.

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