Olive Oil Production

Sapmaz Olive Oil Factory in Tavaklı is a family-run business employing around 10 workers. During the harvest season, it operates at full steam from November through January, processing olives and producing the high-quality olive oil for which this region is renowned. The family’s roots trace back to Ottoman times, when the factory first began its life as a flour mill.

For some, olive production is simply a business — a way to make money and little else. But for the Sapmaz family, it has been a passion passed down through generations. Having built a well-known brand and a loyal customer base, the company offers an online ordering service and operates an outlet along the Tavaklı İskelesi coast road.

This page, however, is devoted to the story of Sapmaz and its humble beginnings in the mid-1850s, thanks to the efforts of Ali Osman Sapmaz (1820–1878). Let us take a closer look at how it all began.

Sapmaz Olive Cultivation

What you are about to read is the fruitful story of four generations, passed hand to hand from the branches of an olive tree. It is our story — carrying the wind of Tavaklı, the boundless blue of the Northern Aegean, the sun of our village, the patience of the earth, and the trace of labour.

Come, let us turn the pages of this story together:

Everything began with a few acres of olive groves given to our first ancestor, Ali Osman Sapmaz (1820–1878), by the headman of Tavaklı village. Our ancestor passed away shortly after returning from military service, leaving behind a legacy whose seeds had only just been planted in the soil and in the olive. The second generation, Mustafa Sapmaz (1911–1978), took on this legacy, expanded it, and laid the first foundation by purchasing the place that is now our factory — then used as a flour mill.

The first step of a new beginning came with the third generation. Our grandfather Mehmet Sapmaz (1945–1989), who returned from military service and established the stone-press system in the factory, transformed his respect for olives into craftsmanship. Since that day, in these lands the olive has never been just a fruit — it has been a sacred living being to us.

Then the fourth generation, Bülent Sapmaz, touched the olive. He was young again, inexperienced, and alone. He had lost his father at the age of 13 but matured early. With Bülent Sapmaz, modern production in line with European Union standards began. The facility was equipped with renewed, state-of-the-art machinery, increasing both quality and quantity. In this way, olives were pressed without waiting, with excellence always in sight. Today, at the Sapmaz Olive Oil Factory — which processes an average of 2,000 tonnes of olives per year — olive oil continues to live on and be preserved as a family and cultural heritage.

Today, Bülent Sapmaz and his sons, Mehmet Sapmaz and Yiğit Sapmaz — in other words, we — are writing the continuation of this century-old story. Knowing the olive as a trust placed in our care, we act accordingly and improve ourselves every day. Without deviating even by a gram from our quality, the trust our customers place in us, or the respect we feel for olives and olive oil, we work for the growth of our olive tree and our brand.

So, what do we never deviate from?

We never deviate from our love for olives!
We do not only look at the olive tree; we understand it. Because when we take one step towards it, it takes two towards us. It is happy when pruned, and when it “speaks”, it is listened to. Today at Sapmaz Olive Cultivation, we still maintain that respect and loyalty. We press the joyful olives of happy trees with joy.

We never deviate from trust!
We treat every customer’s olives as if they were our own and never leave the machines unattended. For us, this is not just a job. Our nights, our days, the hours spent under the noise of the machines, the early mornings when the tea is first brewed… Each one is part of this journey.

We never deviate from friendship!
Every morning before work begins, we brew our tea and offer a glass to our customers. Because this factory is not just a place of production; it is a place where friendships are formed and trust takes root.

We never deviate from our respect for olive oil!
We not only produce olive oil. We protect it, preserve it, and take ownership of it. Into our oils, we blend years of experience and the love passed down through generations.

We never deviate from our unconditional devotion to the olive!
The olive is bountiful. Every part of it — from its leaves to its seed, from its trunk to its soil — is valuable. We live this abundance not only to benefit from it but to share it. We give olive leaves to farmers for free — they become feed for their animals. We produce fuel from olive pits — a heat source even more efficient than coal. With our endless energy, we develop countless new projects. Because we are both the labourers and the guardians of this land and these olives.

We never deviate from sincerity!
As the sector grew, we saw sincerity decline — but we never strayed from authenticity. That is why our name, Sapmaz (“does not deviate”), has endured for generations.

Today, we remain the same. We keep both our facility and ourselves open to development. Even when the work is hard, we do not give up. Because we know that olives require patience — and trust. Just like our story…

Now it is time to continue our story and bring new successes. Knowing the value of our ancestral heritage and our olives, our aim is to introduce our brand — first to every corner of Türkiye and then to the world — to institutionalise, and to offer everyone the high-quality olive oil whose flavour and excellence we trust. We set our measure of success accordingly.