Türkiye is the world’s second-largest olive oil producer and the single largest producer outside the European Union, drawing on approximately 180 million olive trees spread across 41 of its 81 provinces. In the record 2024/25 crop year it produced roughly 505,000 tonnes of olive oil according to the International Olive Council (Turkish exporter and government sources cite figures between 450,000 and 505,000 tonnes for the same season) and 750,000 tonnes of table olives, making it the world’s number-one table olive producer. According to IOC Executive Director, speaking to Anadolu Agency in January 2026, “Looking at the data from the last five seasons (2020–2025), Turkey seems to have consolidated its position as the world’s second-largest producer of olive oil and table olives.” Türkiye also holds a Deputy Executive Director seat on the IOC.

Production in Türkiye is highly cyclical because olive trees follow a natural “alternate bearing” rhythm of high- and low-yield years, amplified by weather. After the exceptional 2024/25 harvest, output for 2025/26 was forecast to fall sharply. Mustafa Tan, chairman of Türkiye’s National Olive and Olive Oil Council (UZZK), stated that “the 2025/26 National Olive and Olive Oil Harvest Forecast and Assessment Committee has determined that Turkey will produce 310,000 tons of olive oil and 740,000 tons of table olives in the 2025/2026 production season,” while the IOC projected an even lower range of 280,000–290,000 tonnes in its October outlook. This represents a return to a normal season rather than a structural decline.

Turkish olive oil is produced mainly in four regions — the Aegean, Marmara, Mediterranean, and Southeastern Anatolia — with the Aegean coast accounting for the large majority of national output. Each region has a distinct climate and signature olive varieties that shape the flavor of the oil, from the mild, grassy oils of the northern Aegean to the robust, peppery oils of the south and the buttery table-olive varieties of Marmara.

The Aegean region — including İzmir, Aydın, Muğla, Manisa, Balıkesir, and Çanakkale — is Türkiye’s olive-oil heartland. Its Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters is ideal for oil-rich fruit. The northern Aegean around Ayvalık is dominated by the Ayvalık (Edremit) variety, prized for smooth, fruity, mildly grassy extra virgin oils. The southern Aegean around Aydın and Muğla is Memecik country, yielding robust oils with pronounced fruitiness, bitterness, and a peppery finish.

The Marmara region (Bursa, Çanakkale, Balıkesir) is famous for the Gemlik variety, a small black olive celebrated as a table olive that also produces mild, soft, nutty oil. The Mediterranean region (Mersin, Antalya, Hatay) and Southeastern Anatolia (Gaziantep, Kilis) are smaller but growing zones; Southeastern Anatolia is known for the Kilis Yağlık and Nizip Yağlık varieties used in distinctive regional oils.

Elixir de Azeitona is based in Manisa, in the heart of the Aegean region — the same terroir that produces Türkiye’s most awarded oils. Türkiye has a remarkably rich genetic heritage, with around 119 registered olive cultivars.

Olive oil grades are defined by how the oil is extracted and by measurable chemical and sensory limits set by the International Olive Council (IOC). The top grade, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), must be mechanically extracted with no sensory defects and a free acidity of no more than 0.8%. Lower grades allow higher acidity or require refining. Understanding these grades is essential for B2B buyers writing accurate purchase specifications.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest grade: mechanically extracted, with free acidity ≤0.8% (expressed as oleic acid), a peroxide value ≤20 meq O₂/kg, and no organoleptic defects. Virgin olive oil is also mechanically extracted and fit for consumption, but allows free acidity up to 2.0% and minor sensory flaws. Lampante virgin oil exceeds 2.0% acidity and is not fit for consumption without refining.

Refined olive oil is virgin oil that has been chemically refined to remove defects, then typically blended. The grade simply labeled “olive oil” (once called “pure”) is a blend of refined and virgin oils with free acidity ≤1.0%. Olive pomace oil is extracted from the leftover paste using solvents and refined — the lowest tier, used mainly in industrial and food-service channels.

“Cold-pressed” (or, more accurately today, “cold-extracted”) means the oil was extracted at temperatures below 27°C (80.6°F). Low temperatures preserve the volatile aroma compounds and polyphenols that give fresh EVOO its flavor and health benefits. Because all genuine extra virgin oil must be produced cold, “cold-pressed EVOO” is technically a redundancy — but it remains a meaningful signal of careful, low-heat production.

Türkiye protects its origin-specific oils through geographical-indication schemes. Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı became a Turkish olive oil registered as an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) — a natural extra virgin oil made from Memecik olives grown in Aydın province, described by the EU as having a “green to golden yellow colour, intense fruit odour, fruity aroma and high levels of bitterness and pungency.” Türkiye has around 23 domestic geographical-indication registrations for olive oil, though only a handful are entered in the EU’s eAmbrosia register. PDO/PGI oils command premium positioning in specialty markets.

For B2B buyers, private buyer certifications often matter more than origin marks. The certifications importers and retailers most commonly require are ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000 food-safety management, BRCGS and IFS Food (frequently mandatory for UK, German, and French retail chains), EU Organic and USDA NOP for organic claims, plus Halal and Kosher for specific markets.

A supplier holding BRCGS or IFS automatically satisfies most ISO 22000 requirements, because both standards are built on ISO 22000 foundations.

Turkish olive oil competes on quality with Spanish, Italian, and Greek oils while typically selling at meaningfully lower export prices, which is the core of its appeal to importers. Turkish extra virgin olive oil FOB prices run roughly 30–40% below comparable Italian or Greek origin oils at the same quality tier, making Türkiye a preferred origin for private-label importers, food-service distributors, and value-focused premium retailers.

Quality is well documented. At the 2025 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition — the world’s largest — “olive oil producers, bottlers and exporters from Turkey combined to win 30 awards (25 Gold and five Silver Awards) from 58 entries,” across native varieties including Ayvalık, Memecik, Gemlik, Domat, Edremit, and Trilye. Peer-reviewed sensory research published in the journal Molecules confirms that Ayvalık and Memecik oils “received high scores for positive sensory attributes such as fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency,” the positive attributes that define quality EVOO.

Turkish oils tend to have a lighter, fruitier, more approachable profile than the intense, peppery oils of some Italian and Greek regions — a flavor style that aligns well with emerging markets where consumers are new to EVOO. Türkiye is gaining traction in “new world” markets such as Japan, China, Brazil, and the United States, where demand for lighter, fruitier oils and value-for-quality positioning is strong. A key structural advantage: the Northern Hemisphere October–January harvest gives buyers freshly-pressed, high-polyphenol oil from December through March, opposite to Southern Hemisphere origins.

The Turkish olive oil industry is heading toward higher export value, a larger organic and premium segment, and greater supply-chain traceability. The Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters’ Association projects that a record 2026/27 crop could push Türkiye’s combined olive and olive oil exports back above USD 1 billion, and the country continues to plant new groves to expand capacity and diversify export markets beyond the EU.

The organic and premium segment is a clear growth engine. According to The Business Research Company, the global organic olive oil market “will grow from $1.19 billion in 2025 to $1.31 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6%,” reaching $1.81 billion by 2030. Türkiye already holds a meaningful base of certified organic olive groves — roughly 56,000 hectares, the fifth-largest globally — and government incentives are encouraging expansion.

Emerging-market demand is accelerating. According to Certified Origins’ April 2026 market report (citing Spanish trade outlet Mercacei), in the first four months of the 2025/26 campaign EU olive oil exports to China rose 178.8% (8,341 tons) and to Japan 66.7% (5,133 tons), while Brazil grew 56.8% (12,666 tons) — a signal of where new B2B demand is concentrating. Traceability is the other defining trend: blockchain-based supply-chain systems, QR codes, and IoT tools now let buyers and consumers verify origin, harvest date, and certification, and are increasingly expected by premium buyers.

Sustainability is moving from marketing to procurement requirement. Buyers increasingly ask for recycled and lightweight packaging, carbon accounting, regenerative farming, and circular-economy use of by-products such as olive pits and pomace.