The Büyükkonuk Olive Producers Agricultural Cooperative in northern Cyprus has grown from 28 founding members to 250 producers representing 29 villages since its establishment in 2017. Project coordinator Ersun Aytaç said production capacity has also increased from 3 tonnes to 60 tonnes over the same period.
Aytaç explained that the groundwork began in 2012 with village visits across northern Cyprus to map what producers were growing and under what conditions. Efforts focused on Büyükkonuk and surrounding villages from 2016 onwards, with a business plan and ten-year roadmap drawn up with technical support.
The cooperative was officially founded in 2017 with backing from the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Artisans and Craftsmen. A separate marketing cooperative, EZKOOP (Artisans, Craftsmen and Producers Marketing Cooperative), was established simultaneously to handle sales. Aytaç noted that having one cooperative market the products of another was a first in Turkish Cypriot cooperative history.
Partnerships with universities were formed to monitor production standards, and food engineers were engaged for professional oversight. The first harvest took place in October 2018, facility construction was completed between 2019 and 2020, and machinery investments followed in 2021–2022. The facility subsequently received ISO 2000 certification.
On the export front, the cooperative shipped to Australia in 2019 and to the United Kingdom in 2020. Sales across the Green Line to southern Cyprus were made in 2022 and again in 2026. The number of olive trees under the cooperative's umbrella also surged from around 15,000 in 2018 to more than 150,000 by 2023.
