Sevilma Garden

Imagine an olive grove where the soil is never ploughed, no irrigation is carried out, and not even a single tree is planted. It may seem impossible—yet this method has been practised in the ancient olive groves of the Aegean Region for over four thousand years. Formed by grafting onto wild olive trees rather than planting from seed, these ancient production areas represent one of the oldest and most resilient forms of food production in human history.

One of the best-preserved examples of this timeless way of life is the Sevilma Garden, situated in the Orhanlı Valley in Izmir. This is the place where our dear mother, Sevil Eken—the inspiration behind the Sevilma philosophy—lived for over a decade. In 2024, our garden was recognised as Turkey’s first officially accredited Slow Food Farm and has become an integral part of the rapidly growing Slow Food agroecology movement. 

The Sevilma Garden is a small but vibrant part of Izmir’s unique, ancient agricultural basins. It is an ecosystem where our valued neighbours, the people of Orhanlı Valley, live in harmony with olive trees and all other living things. This ancient model of production is built upon the four core principles of circular culture: harmony with one another, harmony with nature, harmony with the past, and harmony with change.

The Sevilma Garden’s site in Orhanlı Temesealtı is not only a production facility but also an experience centre. The stone building at the heart of the site Ercan Baba Olive Oil Mill, it reflects the local architecture of the Aegean. However, this is not merely a production site; it is a vibrant communal space where guests gather, children play and visitors immerse themselves in nature. Yücel Sönmez Olive Oil Library It is also part of this building. Here, our visitors can taste oils produced from 70 different olive varieties and terroirs, and become part of the story of Slow Food Presidium olive oil.

The two olive groves within the Sevilma Garden, situated within the former boundaries of Orhanlı, are a cultural and natural heritage site where olive trees with wild roots and domesticated branches thrive. We do not use any chemical pesticides here, nor do we plough the soil. Sheep, goats and wild animals can roam freely amongst the olive groves.

This ancient production basin, of which the Sevilma Garden forms only a very small part, covers vast areas in the western sections of the Orhanlı Valley. This rare and endangered olive-growing system was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2023.

This is also where Turkey’s only Slow Food Presidium olive oil is produced. The Slow Food Presidium protects food products at risk of disappearing and encourages cooperation amongst producers. The Ercan Baba Olive Oil Factory, which serves as Sevilma’s production facility, is the only facility in Turkey dedicated to producing and preserving the Aegean region’s Presidium olive oils.

The Orhanlı Valley, an ancient agricultural basin, is not only a cultural and natural heritage site but also offers potential solutions to the challenges facing the world of the future: how can scarce water resources be used most efficiently under the pressure of climate change? How can soil fertility be increased in harmony with nature? What are the social and economic models required to sustain fair production?

The ancient agroecological production areas represented by the Sevilma Garden offer simple and practical answers to these complex questions—answers that have stood the test of time for thousands of years.

The Sevilma Garden consists of the following sections:

  • Two olive groves in Eski Orhanlı, measuring 17 dönüm and 12.5 dönüm respectively, which are classified as part of the Aegean Olives Ancient Production Basin
  • A 10-dönüm orchard in Orhanlı Temesealtı, planted with a variety of fruit trees, where agroecological principles have been practised for 15 years.
  • Set within a 10-dönüm garden, an olive oil production facility inspired by traditional Aegean architecture – the Erban Baba Olive Oil Factory.
  • The Yücel Sönmez Olive Oil Library, which forms part of the Erban Baba Olive Oil Factory.
  • Sevima Academy and indoor spaces that serve as dining, socialising and entertainment areas for our visitors, along with an adjoining outdoor garden.
  • Within the 10-dönüm garden in Temesealtı, there will be play, learning and walking areas for children (currently in the planning stage).