Our own cultivation and our own olives are the heart of Corovita and the reason this company and its oil even exist. It began as is probably so often the case in this business: olive groves were inherited for generations and no one really cared for them. People would visit these fields at most once a year to harvest, bring the olives to a mill, and later sell the oil as a commodity. My grandmother decided back then: either we sell our land or we make something of it. I decided to make something of it. The first decision was to fully certify our fields as organic. Even in Germany at that time, organic food was only available in small organic shops, and in Turkey, organic farming was practically unknown. We were one of the first to do this. Since there was no market for organic olive oil in Turkey at the time, we decided to jump on the trend in Germany and market our oil here.
Origin
The olives for Corovita Mirtat olive oil are grown in northwestern Turkey. Our family has its headquarters in the small town of Gülpinar, and our mill is also located there. In this region, not far from the ancient city of Assos and far from Troy, olives are grown in many villages. The climate is ideal. Our field is located directly by the sea. This protects the olives from the worst of the summer heat thanks to the constant sea breeze. The constant light breeze also helps to drive away fruit flies.
In winter, the direct proximity to the Aegean Sea protects the field from the worst of the cold. It can get quite cold here in February and March. Corovita Mirtat is the most beautiful field on our family property and offers a spectacular panorama. Located directly on the sea, with some wonderful, deserted beaches, gentle cliffs rise up, bordered by hilly slopes covered with olive trees.
Story
The Mirtat field has been in our family's possession since 1955 and is approximately 10 hectares in size. Originally, it was used not only for olive cultivation, but also had natural, wild vegetation, including wild olive trees. Over years of painstaking work, the wilderness was replaced with pure vegetation, including olive trees. Thus, Mirtat became a pearl, and has remained so to this day.
When you enter the grove and sit beneath a century-old, evergreen olive tree, listening to the sound of the sea, you'll enter another world, and you won't want to leave this enchanting beauty. Even today, many other plants can be found, but the focus is on olive cultivation and one simple goal: to produce the finest olive oil.
Cultivation & Harvest
If you want good quality, you have to cultivate your fields year-round. It starts shortly after the harvest, usually in January. Then the trees are pruned so that the sun can reach all the branches. This step requires a fair amount of experience, as you also have to estimate how many olives are hanging on the branches to avoid them breaking later.
Over the course of the year, the land still needs to be plowed, fertilized, and possibly irrigated. Like any farm, we are always dependent on the weather. If it rains, the hilly fields are difficult to reach with tractors. This can lead to delays, especially after the winter harvest and before the fall harvest.
Mill & Production
We usually harvest our Mirat field in November. We use mechanical methods for this. We expressly avoid hitting the olives from the tree with a stick, as this would damage the olives and cause the oil to leak out. They are transported to the mill in crates, not sacks.
The olives are transported directly from the field to our mill. Speed is the key factor here. The faster the olives are pressed, the better the final result. To avoid any waiting time, we have our own mill, which also operates exclusively for our own olives and operates every day on harvest days, from the afternoon into the evening.
This ensures that the laboriously harvested olives are processed quickly and with high quality. No mechanical press is used, but rather a modern, continuous cold extraction process.
The oil is then stored in high-quality stainless steel tanks so that it retains its aroma over a longer period of time.
