Turkey’s olive oil exports expected to reach $5 bln by 2023
Turkey grows olives on an enormous scale and periodically sets itself bold export targets. Whether the biggest numbers are ever hit matters less than the underlying truth they point to: a genuine olive-oil giant that has never quite turned volume into value on the world stage.
Every few years, a Turkish trade body announces an ambitious olive-oil export goal — a figure meant to signal that the country intends to convert its vast harvest into serious foreign earnings. The specific target is almost beside the point. What matters is the gap it advertises: Turkey has the trees, the climate and the varieties to be a top-tier exporter, yet its oil still punches below its weight abroad. Understanding why is the whole story.
A genuine giant
Turkey is consistently one of the top handful of olive-oil producing nations, with tens of millions of trees concentrated along the Aegean and Marmara coasts. Investment and new plantings have pushed production capacity up over the years, and young groves keep coming into bearing. The raw material is not in doubt. On volume alone, Turkey belongs in the same conversation as Greece — sometimes ahead of it — and its native varieties, Memecik and Ayvalik above all, give distinctive, high-quality oil.
Why the export ambition keeps stalling
Three structural facts get in the way. First, Turkey has a large, oil-loving domestic market that absorbs much of the crop, so less is left to export. Second, a great deal of what does leave goes in bulk — sold cheaply to be bottled and branded elsewhere, exactly as Greek oil is — which earns foreign currency but surrenders the branding premium. Third, olive trees alternate-bear, giving a big crop one year and a small one the next, so any single year’s export figure swings wildly. Bold targets collide with all three.
What it means for the shopper
Here is the useful part. As long as Turkey exports volume rather than brands, its oil stays underpriced relative to its quality — and that is an opportunity. A good Turkish extra virgin, bottled and dated at origin, frequently offers more freshness and character per pound than a fashionable European name. The trick is to buy the finished, origin-labelled product rather than the anonymous bulk oil that ends up wearing someone else’s flag. Turkey’s unfinished export story is, for now, your bargain.
| Production rank | Consistently a top-five world producer |
|---|---|
| Heartland | Aegean & Marmara coasts (Ayvalik, Izmir, Mugla) |
| Signature oil olives | Memecik, Ayvalik (Edremit) |
| Domestic market | Large and oil-loving, absorbing much of the crop |
| Export weakness | Much sold in bulk, surrendering the branding premium |
| Shopper’s edge | Origin-bottled Turkish oil is underpriced for its quality |
Buying Turkish oil while it’s cheap
- Choose origin-bottled, dated Turkish oil, not bulk-blended product.
- Look for a named region — Ayvalik or Mugla — and ideally a single variety.
- Expect fresh, fruity, medium-intensity oil at a fair price.
- Treat Turkey’s unfinished export story as your buying opportunity.
Turkey’s olive-oil economy: common questions
Is Turkey a big olive-oil producer?
Yes — consistently among the top five in the world, with tens of millions of trees along its Aegean and Marmara coasts.
Why doesn’t its export business match its size?
A large domestic market absorbs much of the crop, a lot of the rest is sold in bulk rather than branded, and alternate-bearing swings the harvest year to year.
What does ‘sold in bulk’ mean here?
Oil shipped in tankers to be bottled and branded in another country, which earns foreign currency but gives away the premium a finished brand commands.
Are Turkish olive oils good quality?
Often very good. Native varieties like Memecik and Ayvalik give fresh, fruity, distinctive oil that competes with better-known origins.
How should I buy Turkish olive oil?
Choose an origin-bottled, dated oil from a named region, ideally a single variety, rather than an anonymous bulk blend.
These grand export targets come and go, and the number is never the point. What they really flag is a giant that grows brilliant oil and keeps handing away its value — partly to a hungry home market, partly by selling in bulk for someone else to brand. That’s a frustration for Turkey and a gift for you. While the country exports volume instead of names, an origin-bottled Ayvalik or Memecik gives you more freshness and character per pound than a fashionable European label. Buy the finished, dated bottle — not the anonymous bulk oil — and pocket the difference.
An evergreen olives101 explainer on Turkey’s olive-oil production, exports and the bulk-versus-brand value gap.