Place: Altınova/Balıkesir, Turkey
Application: Olive Oil Extraction
Operating Machines:
Olivemax 53
Olivemax 52
Pomax 55
Interviewee : İlkay VARDARLI
Interviewer: Feriha BAHAR
Could you please introduce yourself and Altınova Tariş?
Hi, this is İlkay Vardarlı. I started to work as an accounting assistant in our organization in 1993. In 2001, I became the cooperative manager. Our cooperative was established in 1984. In the past, most of our partners were partners of Ayvalık Cooperative, but the increase in the number of partners and the desire to provide better services revealed the need for a new cooperative. After this situation, they became a cooperative. At that time, they were working together with the cotton cooperative. Purchase was being made in a small garden of the cotton cooperative, but over the years an obligation to establish a facility arose. Looking back, the closest continuous system olive oil extraction plant was situated in Ayvalık. Cooperative. However, due to the overcrowding, our partners could not come in line or it was very difficult. In 2001, the building of our current location was built and then a foreign brand machine of 40 tons was bought here. As a continuously growing cooperative, after a while this machine was not enough. Therefore, in 2005, the necessity of capacity increase arose. We even got permission from Ankara to increase the capacity. And we promised to make domestic investments in this meeting. We went directly to HAUS without looking for another brand. We knew that the other Tariş cooperatives also worked with HAUS and were pleased. Afterwards, we met with HAUS executives and provided our cooperative with a 60-ton HAUS machinery. Of course, this was not enough and in 2009 we gave away a 40-ton foreign brand facility by benefiting from Rural Development support and received an 80-ton HAUS brand facility. We have two machines of 60 and 80 tons in the front section. They work for olive oil processing. We are very happy with their efficiency. As electricity was expensive, we just could not get enough of the machines’ processing. We felt the need to make use of the olive pomace we produced. We also purchased a secondary extraction facility from HAUS last year to make use of that olive pomace. We are working with it right now and everything is going well.
We have olives in our garden and our cooperative keeps the olives in the best conditions. This olive goes into the machine as it leaves the field without getting spoiled. Products breathe in perforated crates and not in sacks or floors. We also store the oil in chrome-nickel tanks. We already built it with HAUS. I mean, thank God, things are good in our cooperative right now.
So why domestic machinery? Because of the support?
Not for the support. We need to work with domestic goods for the country's economy. Now all businesses need to think about it. There is no point in missing our currency. While our products have achieved this quality and our technology has developed so much, we have preferred domestic machinery to contribute to our country and manufacturer.
In 2002, I visited Aydın Factory of HAUS. There is a huge difference in technology between HAUS at that time and the current HAUS. A very self-developed firm. I mean, I have personally witnessed this. At that time, I had looked at their malaxers one by one. Now I go and look, and everything is very different. It has improved itself a lot. You can also reach the authorized person in a short time, which is very important for us. In addition, one of the important issues for us is their good service. In case of need, we can easily contact them and get service. We are satisfied with the quality, supply and speed of spare parts services.
Is there anything you want to add?
HAUS sells quality and assures it. They give assistance. “I sell the product, and the rest is not important” is not their way of thinking. And it is important that we can see it in all areas. This can be seen in sales and production. This is one of our preferences.
