Women Centric Wildfare Produces Intriguing Olive Oils

Today more and more entrepreneurs are looking at olive oil production in Turkey, with an eye towards the North American market. Wildfare is one such company. Olive production originated in Southeastern Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon around 4000 BC. It later spread west to other Mediterranean Countries. Although, Spanish, Italian, and Greek olive oil are more famous in the United States, according to the World Population Review, this year Turkey is the third largest producer of olive oil.

Wildfare

Wildfare distributes Turkish olive oil in many countries and began distribution in the United States in late 2020. The company was founded in 2019 by a Turkish entrepreneur/venture capitalist/philanthropist with a background in health and cooking, who keeps a low profile. The owner’s motivation came from a love of the land and tradition and a desire to improve the lives of the growers and producers. Their sentiments are shared by Melissa Clemente, Wildfare’s Creative and Marketing Director “The land and the people give us beautiful things. We want to reciprocate in appreciation.”

Wildfare strives to honor Turkey’s ancient olive oil legacy while incorporating modern innovations in addition to traditional wisdom. It mainly contracts with family farms that have produced high-quality olives and olive oil for generations and who preserve the quality of the soil by using regenerative agricultural methods. To honor their producers, each bottle of olive oil contains the geographic coordinates of the Turkish farm where the olives are located.

Women at the Center

Fresh olives from Tire" by CharlesFred is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Eighty percent of the farmers and producers who partner with Wildfare are women. Explains Clemente, “Partnering with women-owned businesses was a conscious decision when Wildfare was founded. Women traditionally did the work in the orchards and farms so part of Wildfare’s mission is to empower women and contribute to their financial success and therefore to their communities.” Acting as spokesperson, she shares, “Wildfare is invested in caring for our people, the land, and the entire process, from healthy clean crops to our healthy, clean cuisine.”

The company highlights the producers including Ms. Serife Aydin. In a video Aydin shares her philosophy of production as "creating art together.” A woman-centered business, Aydin further shares that her company provides nutritious meals for workers, a daycare center, and a kindergarten. In addition, the company provides on-going training and symposiums for career development.

The Olive Oil

Wildfare extra virgin olive oil is made from early-harvest green olives because they contain higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols and lower levels of acidity. Grown in the Aydin region of Turkey (South Aegean area), memecik is a primary olive cultivar used by Wildfare and gives their EVOO a fruity and bitter taste. Another cultivar used is Ayvallk, grown in the Northwestern Aegean province of the same name. It has a medium to mild herbaceous and floral taste. All the olives are pressed within three hours of harvesting to ensure freshness.

The oil is a clear, greenish gold and has hints of fresh-cut grass and spring flora. Its peppery, spicy and slightly bitter taste tickles the back of the tongue and throat.

Perhaps because women are so involved in Wildfare, they have developed a special blend for children consisting of a proprietary blend of memicek, ayvalik, and domat cultivars. It is a sunny gold in color, has less acidity and is not as pungent or bitter as their EVOO.

Wildfare feels it important for children to develop a taste for olive oil while they are developing their palate. As the company points out, the nutritional benefits are particularly good for children including olive oil’s antioxidant properties and Vitamin E to help immune systems, oleic acid, which is also found in breast milk, and aids brain and neurological development. Additionally fat soluble vitamins are better absorbed in oil and can be healthier than other fats used in cooking and products.

Wildfare recommends using olive oil on child pleasing favorites like noodles, or popcorn, which is healthier for children than other fats such as butter. Developing an early taste for olive oil is a good way to develop healthy habits.

In 2021, one of the first years of production, Wildfare’s EVOO for kids won the prestigious international Olivinus Kids and Teens Competition. The judges were children between 8 and 16 years old, a hard group to please.

The company prides itself on ensuring that their partners are committed to being good stewards of the land who use best practices in production as well as providing equitable treatment and empowerment of the people they work with and contributing to their communities.

Interested in Turkish olive oil? Read about award-winning Turkish producer, Oro di Milas.