Edremit Zeytinyağı

Edremit Zeytinyağı is a natural extra virgin olive oil produced from Edremit variety olives grown in the Edremit and Havran districts of Balıkesir province in the northern Aegean region of Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the register of protected designations of origin on 20 July 2023, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1489, published in Official Journal L 183. The Single Document was published in Official Journal C 106 on 22 March 2023. The application was submitted by Edremit Chamber of Commerce under reference PDO-TR-02783, with an application date of 5 July 2021. The Turkish domestic GI registration was announced in TÜRKPATENT Official Geographical Indication Bulletin No. 19 dated 15 December 2017.

Edremit Zeytinyağı is Turkey's second EU-registered olive oil, after Milas Zeytinyağı and before Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı.

Product description

Edremit Zeytinyağı is characterised by an exceptionally thin body — described in the specification as "water-like" — which is its most distinctive sensory property. It has an aroma of one or more fruity notes (green almond, golden apple, flowers, green grass), with the overall character described as reminiscent of the scent of spring flowers.

The Edremit variety is grown almost exclusively throughout the production zone, which contains approximately 9.8 million olive trees. Varieties other than Edremit mixed during harvest may not exceed 2%.

Colour varies from golden yellow to dark green depending on the maturation stage of the olives. Colour is not considered a quality or purity criterion for olive oil.

Chemical specifications

The following values are taken directly from the PDO specification and Single Document (OJ C 106/2023):

Parameter	Specification
Free fatty acid content (as oleic acid)	≤ 0.8%
Alpha-tocopherol	150–250 mg/kg
Total phenolic compounds	100–200 mg/kg
Total desmethylsterols (campesterol, clerosterol, β-sitosterol, Δ5-avenasterol, apparent β-sitosterol)	2,000–3,000 mg/kg

When compared to other olive oils processed in the southern Aegean, Edremit Zeytinyağı has a low alpha-tocopherol and total phenolic compounds content but a distinctively high total desmethylsterol content. The slow ripening caused by the microclimate of the Edremit Gulf — which differs from the southern Aegean and Mediterranean regions — produces this specific chemical profile.

Sensory properties

As specified in the Single Document:

• Fruitiness: delicate (Median < 3.0) or medium (3.0 < Median < 6.0)

• Ripe fruitiness in the ripe and variegated harvest

• Bitterness: delicate (Median < 3.0); moderate (3.0 < Median < 6.0) in early harvest

• Pungency: delicate (Median < 3.0); moderate (3.0 < Median < 6.0) in early harvest

• Body: thin, described as "water-like" in terms of viscosity

Production zone

The production area covers the Edremit and Havran districts of Balıkesir province, an area of approximately 224,580 decares. It is bounded by Kaz Mountains to the north, Mıhlı Stream (the Edremit-Çanakkale border) to the west, Havran district to the east, and Burhaniye district to the south. This zone is commonly known as Edremit Gulf, with a total surface area of around 2,400 km² (sea area 860 km²). The coordinates of the area are between 26°03' and 26°35' east longitudes and 39°14' and 39°28' north latitudes.

Edremit Gulf has an agricultural area of approximately 100,000 hectares, of which approximately 75% consists of olive groves. It accounts for 13.5% of all olive groves and 6.2% of all olive trees in Turkey.

All processes — cultivation, harvesting, leaf separation, washing, crushing, malaxation, and extraction — must be performed within the demarcated geographical area.

Climate and geographical factors

The Mediterranean climate prevails in Edremit Gulf throughout the year, moderated by the surrounding mountain terrain. Kaz Mountains to the north and east reduce the impact of cold air masses in winter, preventing the severe frosts damaging to olive trees. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of approximately 7°C — warm enough to meet the olive tree's cooling requirements. Average temperatures in the hottest month are around 27°C, close to ideal for olive fruit development.

The oxygen-rich, cool mountain air from Kaz and Madra Mountains circulates toward sea-facing slopes (between 50 m and 250 m in height) and into the narrow and deep valleys created by rivers that flow into Edremit Gulf, where it meets iodine-bearing air currents from the Aegean. This interaction supports the growth of high-quality olives on these slopes.

During the day the Gulf cools from sea breezes; as the sun sets the north winds from Kaz and Madra Mountains cool the olive fields again. This dual cooling effect causes slow ripening of the olives, which develop thin but resistant skins. Thin-skinned olives release oil more readily during crushing and malaxation.

Annual precipitation varies between 600–700 mm. Snow on Kaz and Madra Mountains feeds underground water reserves when it melts, together with the water-holding clay-rich soil composition, meeting the irrigation needs of the olive trees. Soil pH is 6.5–8.5, the ideal range for olive cultivation.

Because olive trees experience less drought stress under these conditions, the olive grain grows larger, develops the characteristic round shape of the Edremit variety, and produces the spring-flower aroma and water-like viscosity that define Edremit Zeytinyağı.

Production method

All production steps must be performed within the demarcated geographical area. The specification prescribes the following:

1. Planting — Edremit variety certified seedlings only, planted between November and April. Irrigation is particularly important before and after blooming and during seed hardening.

2. Harvesting — begins mid-October and can continue until end of November. Olives must be collected from the tree by machine or by hand; fallen or long-spoiled olives are excluded. Storage and transport must be in food-grade crates with air circulation. The storage period must not exceed 10 hours and pressing must be completed within this period.

3. Leaf separation and washing — leaves, branches, soil, stone, and other impurities removed by vibration, airflow, or sieve; followed by pressurised water washing. Washing water must be clean and potable; changed daily. Excess water removed from fruit surface before crushing.

4. Crushing — using disc, hammer, bar crushers, or stone mills. Metal contamination from equipment must be avoided.

5. Malaxation — in heated malaxers to bring the olive paste to the appropriate temperature. The paste temperature must not exceed 27°C during extraction. Total crushing and kneading time must not exceed 45 minutes. Water is not recommended during kneading.

6. Extraction — using continuous centrifuge systems (two-phase or three-phase decanters). Oil is filtered with paper filters to remove fruit particles.

7. Storage — in conical-bottom stainless steel or chrome-nickel-coated tanks, food-grade standard. Stored with minimum air contact using inert gas or floating cover systems. Storage temperature should be around 18°C. From pressing to packaging, oil must be stored separately so it cannot mix with other olive oils.

Human factors

The town of Edremit has been a human settlement area for more than 3,000 years. Olive farming and olive oil production have been the primary agricultural activity in the region throughout this period. Archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Adramytteion in Ören have uncovered Edremit type olive seeds, oil lamps, oil jugs (amphora), and oil jars (pithoi), demonstrating at least 2,000 years of olive cultivation in the Gulf.

Documentary evidence from the Ottoman period confirms the commercial importance of the product. A foundation certificate for Kurşunlu Mosque in Edremit dated 1492 references olive cultivation, and an edict of Yavuz Sultan Selim dated 1515 specifically requested olives from Edremit, indicating that both table olives and olive oil production were economically significant in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The long tradition of olive oil production in the area has led to the establishment of many processing facilities in the region. Producers harvest olives with care to avoid fruit damage and process them into oil within 10 hours of harvest — a practice essential to keeping free fatty acid content low by preventing hydrolysis of triglycerides. Quick processing, controlled extraction temperature (≤27°C), limited malaxation time (≤45 minutes), and controlled storage temperature (~18°C) are the defining human practices that maintain Edremit Zeytinyağı's low free fatty acid content.

Control and certification

The competent control authority listed in the EU register is the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Balıkesir Province Agriculture and Forestry Department, Pasalani Mahallesi Gaffar Okkan Caddesi, Karesi/Balıkesir (balikesir@tarim.gov.tr, +90266 246 26 70).

The Edremit Chamber of Commerce, as applicant and coordinator, maintains the list of Edremit olive growers within the demarcated geographical area and their production capacity, enabling producer monitoring throughout the production chain.

Labels must include: the designation name 'Edremit Zeytinyağı', the trade name and address or registered mark of the producer, the European Union PDO logo, the official Edremit Zeytinyağı logo, and an official hologram of authenticity. Products may be filled in food-grade packages from 0.25 kg to 18 kg.