Cooperative Practices
As the representative of artisans and shopkeepers, KTEZO is aware that processing rural products and offering them to both tourists and our people with a quality and balanced price policy is an integral part of rural development strategies in the development of the country. In addition to these, with the awareness that certified and quality products have a chance to reach foreign markets, our Chamber aims to contribute both in the field of processed food and in the production and marketing of traditional handicrafts. For this purpose, it is obvious that working by clustering (based on cooperatives and producer unions) will contribute to economic development with both economies of scale and cost-reducing effect. For this purpose, our chamber has been involved in many cooperative and clustering practices. These are listed below.
EZKOOP
Shopkeepers Artisans and Producers Marketing Cooperative was founded in 2017. Our cooperative was established as a result of the efforts to market agricultural products and handicrafts, which we started in 2012, and to bring local products to both our people and tourists. As a result of these efforts since 2012, the determination of product pattern and production potential within the framework of rural development support programs with the EU and feasibility studies regarding these potentials were carried out together with our Chamber, and two products (Olive and Grape) came to the fore at this point. After these practices, Büyükkonuk Olive Producers Agricultural Cooperative Limited (Büyükkonuk Olive-Cooperative) from the Karpaz region and Karpaz, Grape, Wine, Alcoholic Beverage Production and Marketing Cooperative (KASKOOP) LTD, based in the village of Mehmetçik, were established simultaneously. In addition, local product producers in Lefka, Chatos, Kyrenia, Agios Sergios and Famagusta were contacted and cooperative and clustering studies were carried out. EZKOOP is a structure organized as an Umbrella Cooperative in which representatives of all these producers take part in the board of directors and provide technical support to all these structures. We are still extensively providing the technical support of Büyükkonuk Olive Producers Agricultural Cooperative in marketing its oil, olive oil and black olive products and its EU projects. Our first brand, Taş Değirmen Olive Oil, was not only offered to the domestic market, but also exported to Australia and England. With the production of green and black olives, we have also introduced superior quality soap produced from Taş Değirmen branded extra virgin olive oil to the market as a niche product.
BÜYÜKKONUK OLIVE PRODUCERS AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE
Established in 2017 with KASKOOP and EZKOOP, Büyükkonuk Olive Producers Agricultural Cooperative is a production cooperative mainly dealing with olives and olive products. It has more than 150 members from approximately 14 villages of Iskele District. The natural extra virgin olive oil brand of the cooperative named TAŞ DEĞİRMEN is not only consumed in the domestic market but also exported to Australia and England and is the first olive oil brand to be officially exported in TRNC history. Producers are trained on disinfection and pruning as well as how to bring their olives to the mill for low acidity extraction. As a result of this, olives are brought to the mill in appropriate condition and time, converted into oil by cold pressing under the control of a food engineer in the mill, acidity rates are measured instantly and oils above 0.8 are not accepted. After that, olive oils, which are kept in steel silos for 45 days, are tested in laboratories with international accreditation and then bottled in dark glass bottles for domestic market and export and delivered to buyers. Olive oil produced at 0.76 acidity in the 2018 harvest was reduced to 0.63 acidity in the 2019 harvest and fell below the natural leakage threshold of 0.8. Both the quality of the oil and the appropriate bottling made it possible to export the qualified end product. We can proudly say that this oil has now reached the position of the highest quality oil in the country, with both its absence of drug residues and its low acidity rate. Apart from oil, the production of green and black olives has also started and has been put on the market. Export activities are also carried out in this area. The cooperative has also won a grant project from the EU, and continues to work to reduce input and packaging costs with units that will facilitate both the establishment of nurseries and the harvesting and packaging. In November 2020, we also produced Taş Değirmen branded olive oil soap and put it on the market.
KAS-KOOP
Karpaz, Grape, Wine, Alcoholic Beverage Production and Marketing Cooperative LTD is our Mehmetçik-based cooperative, which is established together with EZKOOP and Büyükkonuk Olive Producers Agricultural Cooperative and produces grapes and grape products at its core. They are working towards the production of grape products in appropriate standards and brands. In October 2020, in cooperation with a local producer, ALAF brand zivaniya was produced from the grapes of the cooperative members and presented to the market.