A husband-and-wife olive oil producing team in southern Türkiye has earned international recognition for their single-variety Kilis olive oil, winning 26 medals over the past six years and helping raise the global profile of the region’s geographically indicated product.
Ali and Ayşegül Hayta have collected 22 gold and 4 silver medals since 2020 in competitions held in countries including Japan, Italy, the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Their most recent gold medal came in March at a competition in Milan.
Ali Hayta (L) and Ayşegül Hayta display their Kilis olive oil, Kilis, southeastern Türkiye, March 5, 2026. (AA Photo)
The couple says their success is rooted in a focus on a single olive variety known as “Kilis yağlık zeytini,” an oil-producing olive cultivar native to Türkiye’s Kilis region, which they believe best represents the area’s quality and flavor profile.
“This competition required olive oil made from a single variety,” Ali Hayta told the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA). “Winning a gold medal with oil produced only from Kilis yağlık olives demonstrates the quality of our product.”
