Our region has agricultural lands that are very suitable for olive cultivation with its climatic conditions, geographical location and soil structure. Due to its affordable cost and high quality oil production, the olive sector in our region is demanding more and more every year. The method of obtaining olive oil from olives is part of the culture surrounding the olive and is a tradition that has not changed for thousands of years.

Olive is not a fruit that can be eaten as it is plucked from the branch. Processes have been developed that remove the sharpness and bitterness of olives. Olives are soaked in water to remove their bitterness. It is then sweetened by immersion in ash, vinegar or lime water and rendered resistant to aging by brining, cutting or cracking. The brine is blended with lemon, fennel, gum, thyme, mint and other herbs to make the taste of olives more pleasant. Memecik, Ayvalık, Çelebi, Gemlik, Domat, Edremit and Erkence are among our most well-known olive varieties.

The olive oil obtained by cold pressing the olives can be eaten without any chemical treatment, so there is no difference between the olive oil extraction method used today and the olive oil used about six thousand years ago. Olives are crushed into a paste, and then this pulp is squeezed or pressed, and the olive oil is separated from the waste water of the olive fruit.

With the development of technology, hydraulic presses have started to be used and today there are machines for obtaining olive oil by centrifugal force without applying any pressure to the olive paste.