IN DECEMBER 2020, MİLAS OLIVE OIL BRAND HAS BEEN CHOOSEN AS THE FIRST AND ONLY EUROPEAN UNION GEOGRAPHICAL MARK OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF MİLAS (MİTSO). MİTSO PRESIDENT REŞİT ÖZER HAS GIVEN A SPECIAL INTERVIEW TO BEIZA AND SAID THAT THE EU GEOGRAPHICAL MARK HAS LED THE WAY TO THE TURKISH OLIVE OIL SECTOR. "WE ENCOURAGE OUR MANUFACTURERS TO BRAND THEIR PROUCTS. HE SAID ”BRANDED PRODUCTION MEANS QUALITY PRODUCTION”.
HOW DID MILAS OLIVE OIL BECOME TURKEY'S FIRST AND ONLY EU GEOGRAPHICALLY MARKED OLIVE OIL?
The main challenge for Milas olive oil was to destroy the image of “Milas olive oil is a lampante oil” in the market, proving that Milas olive oil is a very special and very high quality olive oil when appropriate methods are applied. Olive oil producers from Milas had to dispell this image first. Our experienced and highly skilled olive oil manufacturers have proven that if olive oil has early harvest, and cold-pressed specifications, it becomes high in quality. With very special olive oils they produced, they started to win awards abroad. We as MITSO, were able to obtain a geographical mark patent from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Institution (TPMK) to Milas olive oil, obtained by these special methods. The geographic sign we received from the TPMK encouraged US both, the MITSO administration and our olive oil manufacturers. So more of our manufacturers started competing in international competitions and won awards. We applied for a geographic sign to the EU with enthusiasm and we've been through a lot. We have presented our documents that demonstrate the characteristics, difference and quality of Milas olive oil. We answered their questions, we presented our recent studies. After a long process, Milas olive oil became the first and only Turkish olive oil that achieved a geographical mark from the EU.
HOW IS “MILAS FATTY OLIVE APPLICATION PROCESS” GOING ON ABOUT GETTING A GEOGRAPHICAL MARK FROM THE EU?
Now we are in the same process with our fatty olive product. We have submitted our documents to the EU, which states the characteristics of it. The correspondence continues. This process take quite some time due to the framework of the EU's own geographical sign legislation. But I can tell you that we are now at the final stage. We hope that Milas's fatty olive will have the EU geographical mark soon.
AFTER MILAS OLIVE OIL RECEIVED THE EU GEOGRAPHICAL MARK, DID IT MAKE A CHANGE IN PRODUCTION AND DEMAND?
After receiving a geographical mark on the Milas olive oil from the TPMK, we encouraged our manufacturers to brand their products and produce Milas olive oil with brands. So a branding movement began. We used to have 8 to 10 brands of olive oil before, recently the number has reached over 30 since we have the EU geographic sign, our brand numbers are increasing rapidly. Nowadays we have around 80 brands of olive oil that has been created in Milas. Branding encourages quality production. Our branded olive oil owners started participating in many competitions abroad and won several awards. And this has been a great deal in the press. Milas olive oil news on media has attracted interest and increased the demand in olive oil throughout the country. The consumers were affected by the news and they demand early harvest, cold-pressed olive oil. As demand increased, the olive oil mills started increasing early harvest and cold pressed extra virgin olive oil production. The demands of the factories have also encouraged the manufacturers to turn to the cold-pressed, early harvest extra virgin olive oil production. In this process, brands of product owners, operators of olive oil factories, traditional olive oil manufacturers and consumers became more conscious. Having the EU geographical mark for Milas olive oil, led a new path for all the Turkish olive oil sector.
HOW DID THIS SUPPLY DEMAND AFFECT PRICES AND EXPORTS OF OLIVE OIL?
When Milas olive oil received an EU geographic mark, branding of olive oil has increased, and as branded products started winning awards in international competitions, Milas olive oil prices increased as well.The price of Milas olive oil, which was previously around 25 - 30 TL price range or at even lower prices, was suddenly 50 - 60 TL. Some local producers who put their olive oil products on the internet started selling them at over 100 TL. Exports increased due to the international awards. Buyers from various countries that follows international competition winners have started demanding Milas olive oil. So requests began to pour in from countries such as the United States, Malaysia, Jordan and Russia. A Turkish company with branches in Germany, managed to sell Milas olive oil in their chain stores in Germany.
HOW DID THE EU GEOGRAPHIC MARK EFFECT THE INCOME OF THE MILAS ECONOMY?
Around 18 tons of olive oil are obtained in “High productivity years", where olive oil is abundant in Milas. After the EU geographic mark, at least a quarter of these oil brands have been sold at high prices. So after the EU geographical mark, we can say that the income from olive oil sector has increased at least two or three times more in Milas economy.
AS MİTSO, WHAT KIND OF WORK DO YOU DO IN TURKEY AND ABROAD REGARDING MILAS OLIVE OIL BRAND MANAGEMENT?
First, we encourage our manufacturers to brand their products. Branded manufacturing means quality production, higher quality means, higher turnover. We encourage our olive oil brands to participate in both national and international competitions. Especially rewards from international competitions promote not only Milas olive oil but also Turkish olive oil. Promoting the business increases demand. And the demand increases exports. Competitions are not enough to make business happen, we also need to promote Milas olive oil at domestic and international fairs. Fairs are very important for importers and exporters. As MİTSO, we attend fairs and we present our olive oil to the leading export industry. We present the quality of our olive oil to the importers. As we project our work into the media often, we notice awareness, recognition, reliability for our products. For many years, our producers were unable to get paid for producing olive oil, many of them have not harvested their products because olive oil does not pay enough, but now they started producing olive oil with great enthusiasm.
WHAT KIND OF ADVANTAGES DO THE CONSUMERS GET IF THEY CHOOSE MILAS OLIVE OIL?
Milas olive oil’s polyphenol values are very high. It has its own flavor. It'll have a burning effect on your palate. Such characteristics indicate how healthy Milas olive oil is.Due to these properties, Milas olive oil is not just an ordinary oil added to meals or poured into salads. It is also an elixir of health. That's why we recommend everyone to consume a table spoon of Milas olive oil everyday. Olive oil boosts metabolism and strengthens your immune system.
IN AN INTERVIEW AT THE BEGINNING OF 2022, YOU STATED THAT YOU HAVE THREE DREAMS ABOUT MILAS; TO BUILD A VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN MILAS, TO GIVE MILAS A MODERN EXHIBITION AREA, TO ESTABLISH AN OLIVE OIL MUSEUM. CAN YOU SHARE THE DEVELOPMENTS ON THESE THREE SUBJECTS?
We requested a vocational high school for Milas. It has been confirmed that a school is being built in Milas as part of their “a school in every district” project of the Turkish Companies and Stock Exchange Commission. But in our conversations with the Ministry of National Education, they mentioned that their demand was not a vocational high school, but a nursery. They stated that there is a nursery shortage in Milas. When TOBB agreed, a nursery construction process started in Milas. So our dreams comes true.
We are still negotiating with municipalities and with other institutions in Milas about the exhibition area. A modern exhibition area request has become a common demand by everyone in Milas. Our efforts about this topic, continues.
We are also working with various institutions on the establishment of an olive oil museum, particularly with the municipality. This is a process that will take time. It’s not just a matter of one institution's will. But I believe there will be positive developments soon. We’re trying to do the best we can about it.