First Harvest of the Season Held in Ayvalık, the Capital of Olive Oil

Under the slogan "The Value of Tourism, Capital of Olive Oil," the "19th Ayvalık International Olive, Harvest and Tourism Festival" organized by Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce took place with a harvest event on Saturday, 2 November.

As olives collected from 1,000-year-old olive trees were being pressed, Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce President Ali Uçar stated, "Ayvalık Olive Oil is one of three products in its category with ongoing EU registration procedures. According to UZZK data, record olive oil production of 475,000 tonnes is expected this season. In domestic packaged oil sales, there is a price decline of 15-20 percent. It is important to improve storage conditions that compromise quality in the olive oil sector, establish a "Licensed Warehousing in Olive Oil" system that will meet the annual needs of producers, manufacturers, traders and exporters and create an exchange, and if necessary, pursue cooperation with cooperatives in the sector." 

The "19th Ayvalık International Olive, Harvest and Tourism Festival" organized by Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce from 1-3 November in Ayvalık, the capital of olive oil, concluded. At the harvest held on Saturday, 2 November, olives collected from 1,000-year-old trees were pressed. The harvest in Ayvalık, one of three olive oils that have entered world olive oil literature, also signaled that the season would be bountiful. Providing commentary on the matter, Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce President Ali Uçar stated, "When we assumed office as management, we engaged in serious work on EU registration of 'Ayvalık Olive Oil,' which was among our priorities, and we worked with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office for approximately 1.5 years on the mandatory registration revision of 'Ayvalık Olive Oil,' the first in its class among National Olive Oil Geographical Indications registrations, and completed the revision of our registration in line with the views of relevant institutions and organizations. Ayvalık Olive Oil is one of three products in its category with ongoing EU registration procedures. According to UZZK data, record olive oil production of 475,000 tonnes is expected this season. In domestic packaged oil sales, there is a price decline of 15-20 percent. It is important to improve storage conditions that compromise quality in the olive oil sector, establish a "Licensed Warehousing in Olive Oil" system that will meet the annual needs of producers, manufacturers, traders and exporters and create an exchange, and if necessary, pursue cooperation with cooperatives in the sector. Packaged products need to be incentivized in terms of creating added value. It is important to revise the customs union agreement that stands as an obstacle to packaged products entering the EU market. To increase Turkish olive oil packaged exports, promotional activities need to be supported, and advertising efforts and participation in competitions need to be increased so that brand names can be publicized."

We are working for the "Made in Ayvalık" brand

Calling on all consumers to be careful about sales made through social media and e-commerce sites, Ali Uçar said, "It is a major wrongdoing to add essences and colorants to something that is not olive oil to turn it into olive oil. The fund initially imposed on bulk and barrel oil exports, followed by a 10-month export ban and subsequently a quota-based opening of exports, caused high-priced sales to the foreign market to remain restricted. The sector failed to reach the 1 billion dollars it targeted for 2022 and 2023 in exports. The quota restricted our export plans. Per capita consumption in the domestic market remains fixed at around 1.8-2.0 kg and needs to be increased. Ayvalık is one of the world's three famous olive oil producers and we have boutique production of around 6,000 tonnes, and this niche olive oil needs to become branded and appear on the table as 'Made in Turkey, Made in Ayvalık.' In Europe, the harvest lost due to the global climate crisis, particularly in Spain and Italy, is expected to return to normal levels. There is a 'good year' in olive production in our country as well. Prices in wholesale sales and exports have come down quickly because of these reasons."

Ayvalık all season

This year the festival's concept was "The Value of Tourism, Capital of Olive Oil" and "Ayvalık all season" was emphasized to draw attention to Ayvalık's value in tourism. Noting that Ayvalık, with its small and large picturesque bays, natural, historical and cultural values, is one of Turkey's most beautiful holiday destinations, not just the Aegean, Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce President Ali Uçar said, "With its climate, adequate tourism infrastructure, numerous and uniquely beautiful bays, clear and pristine waters, it is in an ideal position to become an underwater tourism center. With an accommodation capacity of 14,500 beds, 23 islands suitable for diving tourism, red coral found in only two places in the world, the branded Cunda Island in tourism and a distinctive cuisine culture brought through population exchange as the star of gastronomy, historical city texture, nature parks, unique sunsets and many other features, Ayvalık, one of Turkey's rare cities, welcomes visitors every season. This natural wealth enables us to benefit from tourism as another source of income besides olive oil. Every year we welcome nearly 400,000 guests to Ayvalık. During holidays, this number exceeds 1 million. We have accommodation options for everyone, from five-star hotels with 14,500 beds to boutique hotels. Our guests consist of 30 percent domestic tourists and 70 percent foreign tourists. One of the factors that has so stimulated tourism is the new Istanbul-Izmir highway, along with both the Osmangazi and Çanakkale bridges. Thus our distances to cities such as Bursa, Izmir and Istanbul have become even shorter. Because of this, we are now more ambitious about sustainable tourism. So much so that we can reach 100 percent occupancy rates on weekends. We are not just a sea, sand and sun location. We also offer a culture-art and gastronomy holiday. The latest figures also show us that the proportion of accommodations made due to gastronomy is 70 percent, and guests want to introduce the flavors they eat to others on their next visit. The proportion of people taking holidays due to gastronomy has increased 30 percent compared to those taking holidays for sea, sand and sun."