ssue 37: A Journey to the Century-Old Olive Oil Factory

A Journey to the Century-Old Olive Oil Factory

The roots of this land run deep. With every step you take, you encounter a story or a memory from the past. This time, our success story guest is Hilmi Yıldırım Olive Oils.

Let's start by getting to know you. Who is Mehmet Hilmi Yıldırım?

I was born in Aydın in 1956 as the eldest of three children. I completed my primary and secondary education at İzmir Private Turkish College, my high school education at Çamlaraltı College, and my higher education at the Aydın Education Institute.

In 1926, your grandfather Hilmi Yıldırım founded the first olive oil factory, which was a milestone for your family. Could you tell us the story of this establishment?

During the years when our country was under enemy occupation, my grandfather, Abdullah's son Hilmi, was drafted into the army in 1919 and sent to the military driver school in Istanbul. He joined the army and the War of Independence with the rank of sergeant. During the war, he had the honor of being Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's driver. Atatürk was very impressed by his intelligence, foresight, and genius. This honorable duty became a guiding light in shaping his future. By 1926, after the War of Independence had been won, my grandfather returned to his hometown of Aydın. The Republic had just been founded, and this young man with an entrepreneurial spirit had much to do. In 1926, he took his most important step by establishing the first olive oil factory with his father. This marked the beginning of our family’s entry into the olive oil sector. In 1955, he established his second factory in the town of Hıdırbeyli in Germencik. This factory continues to operate as a family business.

A great legacy from the past to the present. It must be both a source of pride and a great responsibility. How do you feel?

As the 5th generation, we are always determined and committed to carrying the flag we inherited from our ancestors even further. Every step we take in this direction is a tribute to our forefathers who worked and struggled for this cause.

You have preserved your ancestral heritage and carried it to the present day, achieving great international success through generations. How have you worked to integrate your ancestral olive oil factory with modern technology?

In terms of maintaining continuity and quality in production, we always strive to keep up with modern technology. We ensure that the machines we use provide natural and organic production, while also prioritizing accessibility for consumers.

You have returned from the world's most prestigious olive oil quality competitions with numerous gold and silver medals. You've added your own stories to the dusty shelves of history with your achievements. How does it feel? Achieving such success is not easy. What did you do?

First of all, I would like to say that the belief in taking the legacy we inherited from our ancestors one step further each day has always been our source of motivation. In this context, making our ancestors proud and being remembered for leaving a pleasant taste on people's palates with the blessings of these fertile lands has always made us happy.

Can you talk about the stages of olive oil production in your factory, from the branch to the table?

Freshly picked Memecik olives are cleaned with fresh water on our machines' conveyor belt and prepared for pressing within 24 hours of harvest. The oil is cold-pressed at 20 degrees, and after passing through the separator, it is stored in our tanks located about 10 meters underground, minimizing air contact. The next stage in the journey of the olive oil is meeting the buyer. Our carefully prepared and packaged products are available to buyers through both our website (www.hilmiyildirim.com) and our factory store.