Turkey was no exception to the rule of reduced olive oil yields across the Mediterranean in the 2023/24 crop year, with production falling from a record yield of 421,000 tons of olive oil in 2022/23 to around 180,000 tons, below the five-year average of 254,600 tons.
Echoing their counterparts in other Mediterranean-producing countries, Turkish olive oil producers expressed their anguish over the low yields in an Olive Oil Times survey on the 2023/24 harvest last December.
These awards validate our efforts to produce high-quality olive oils that showcase the unique flavors and characteristics of Turkish olive varieties.- Tuba Yilmaz, owner, Gaia Oliva
“Poor weather conditions and frosts at the end of March [2023] did a lot of damage to the olive flowers and their subsequent production,” producer Mustafa Safa Soydan said. “For some elderly farmers, there has never been such a poor harvest since 1990.”
Some of the country’s producers also reported problems with the quality of their fresh olive oils, which occurred sporadically in some producing regions.
See Also:The best extra virgin olive oils from TurkeyIn this context, Turkish extra virgin olive oil producers, botters and exporters combined to win 29 awards (17 Gold and 11 Silver) from 52 entries of the industry’s most coveted awards at the 2024 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.
According to the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, they submitted 56 fewer brands in this year’s contest than in 2023 and succeeded with 56 percent of their entries.
Twenty-four of the 29 winning extra virgin olive oil brands were crafted from endemic olive varieties, including Memecik, Ayvalik, Edremit, Trilye, Domat, Gemlik, Hanim Parmagi and Kilis.
Returning participant Gaia Oliva successfully adjusted to the season’s requirements to celebrate two Gold Awards at the NYIOOC this year for its eponymous Memecik and Ayvalik early harvest monovarietals, extending its winning streak to four years.
“Winning two Gold Awards at the 2024 NYIOOC is truly an honor for us and a testament to our team’s dedication and hard work,” said owner Tuba Yilmaz. “For our company, these awards validate our efforts to produce high-quality olive oils that showcase the unique flavors and characteristics of Turkish olive varieties.”
Yilmaz noted that the season was far from simple. High temperatures and unexpected rainfall affected the harvest and disrupted the established patterns in olive tree cultivation.
“Shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns have led to unpredictable growing seasons,” she said. “Despite these adversities, our team demonstrated remarkable resilience and expertise. Through careful planning and hard work, we were able to adapt to changing conditions and mitigate the effects of adverse weather. “
Eminem’s Olive Oil, another returning entrant to the World Competition from Turkey’s Muğla province, once again measured up to the competition, earning a Gold Award for its organic Oro di Milas brand from Memecik olives.
“We feel honored to have been given this recognition, especially with the difficulties in 2023,” co-owner Mark Colin said.
Colin also cited numerous challenges that hampered the 2023/24 harvest, including weather extremes, labor shortages and the impact of the olive fruit fly.
In the company’s competition debut at the 2023 NYIOOC, Eminem’s Olive Oil won two Gold Awards for a pair of organic medium Memecik monovarietals.
Devotion to producing high-quality olive oil was the driving force behind the Gold Award won by Garisar for its eponymous Arbequina monovarietal, repeating its success from last year’s edition of the World Competition.
“We are proud that our Arbequina olive oil won a Gold Award at the 2024 NYIOOC,” said Davut Ayvaz, the company’s executive manager. “This success proves that our quality standards, which we have worked devotedly for years, have been appreciated once again.”
“It’s been a difficult season,” Ayvaz added. “It was very important for us to see once again how valuable our efforts and dedication were, no matter how adverse the seasonal conditions were. We have full confidence that we will win many more awards.”
The vast majority of the country’s winning producers came from the Aegean coast of western Anatolia, where a significant portion of the country’s olive oil is produced, including Manisa province.
“I am very happy and honored to receive an award at the NYIOOC this year, for the second time in a row,” said Zeynep Belger, the female entrepreneur behind Zayto, after joining the elite list of winners at the 2024 NYIOOC.
Zayto won a Gold Award for its Zayto Saittai robust monovarietal. The producer sources her olives from the Gemlik variety (also known as Trilye) in Manisa, one of the country’s main olive oil-producing regions.
With their trees close to the majestic Dardanelles straits in northwestern Turkey, True Olive overcame the drought to win its first-ever World Competition accolade, a Silver Award for its Private Reserve brand from Edremit olives.
The producer also had to survive a wildfire that ravaged its land a decade ago, nurturing and regenerating its burnt olive trees to produce high-quality olive oil.
“Winning is an indescribable joy for all of us,” said co-owner Nicole Babaoglu. “It is the best reward for all the hard work during this challenging year. The drought posed a significant challenge this harvest, but working together, we were still able to make the best of the situation.”
“Claiming the Silver Award inspires a determination to bring home Gold in 2025,” she added.
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