15.05.2025 Meeting with EU Of

Aydın Commodity Exchange and European Commission officials met with geographically indicated product manufacturers in Ankara. In the meeting hosted by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, the delegation, including João Onofre, Head of the Geographical Indications Department of the EU Commission Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Corina Maria Mocanu, Expert responsible for foreign relations and agricultural policies, evaluated the branding and marketing processes of Türkiye's EU-registered products together with the manufacturers. Aydın Commodity Exchange actively contributed to the meeting with its members representing geographically indicated Aydın products
and its expert staff. The meeting was attended by Project Trademark and Patent Officer Emine Ceylan Özdemir and Geographical Indications Consultant Huriye Özener representing Aydın Commodity Exchange, while Aydın Commodity Exchange members Yeşilbaşak Olea Company Representative Mesut Dağdeviren, Geta Farm Company Representative Ayşegül Eda Özen and Aydın Kestanesi Geographical Indications emblem user Aksu Kestane Company Representative Mustafa Çetin also participated in the meeting as producer representatives.

Aydın Commodity Exchange Chairman Fevzi Çondur stated the following in his assessment of the meeting:

“Every step taken for the promotion and protection of our products registered with the European Union is very valuable. Geographical indicated products are not only an economic but also a cultural heritage. This meeting was an important opportunity for our producers to be more aware and to gain a stronger place in the international market. As Aydın Commodity Exchange, we will continue our efforts with determination for both the protection and global branding of our products with geographical indications.” At the meeting, the branding, commercialization and marketing processes of our unique products such as #AydınKestanesi and #AydınMemecikZeytinyağı registered with the EU were evaluated comprehensively. Geographical indication users contributed to the process by sharing their own experiences. This interaction also created significant awareness for producers; it helped them to understand the value that EU registration adds to their products more clearly and to increase their awareness of how this value can be used more effectively.

Important topics such as effective control of geographically indicated products, support for producers and entrepreneurs, correct and appropriate use of EU emblems on labels, and integration of the private sector into promotion and inspection processes in line with the new EU regulation were discussed during the meetings. In this productive meeting where the branding and commercialization processes of Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı and Aydın Kestanesi in the European market were also discussed, producers Mesut Dağdeviren, Ayşegül Eda Özen and Mustafa Çetin conveyed the special challenges of their products and made concrete suggestions for increasing the brand awareness of geographically indicated products. The meeting was a valuable platform for both exchanging information and raising awareness among producers.