The Harvest of Gold Medal-Winning Olives Begins on 4 Million Trees in Kilis

The olive harvest has begun on century-old trees in Kilis, one of Turkey's prominent olive and olive oil production centers. With the first light of dawn, farmers and agricultural workers head to the fields to carefully pick the ripe olives.

Güven Özdemir, President of the Kilis Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, highlights the region’s rich olive history, noting that a 4,500-year-old olive pit was discovered during excavations at Oylum Höyük. Özdemir emphasizes that Kilis olive oil recently won a gold medal at an international competition in Germany, renowned for its high polyphenol content and low acidity. He anticipates 10,000 tons of olive oil production this season.

Young entrepreneur Enes Kaplan, a third-generation olive producer, continues his family tradition and has expanded his production with state support. "From the first light of morning, we pick olives with agricultural workers and press them in our own factory," Kaplan shares. "We package the olive oil produced using traditional methods and ship it worldwide."