Yediveren Endemic Plants Women’s Cooperative for Entrepreneurship, Production and Business (LLC)

We are a women-led cooperative established in 2024 in Şenköy, Hatay (Türkiye) – one of the regions most severely affected by the 2023 earthquake. Our cooperative currently consists of 8 women members, including experts in horticulture, aromatherapy, phytotherapy, cold-pressed oil production, and business development. Our mission is to empower rural women and small-scale farmers through sustainable and innovative agriculture, promote circular economy practices, and build entrepreneurship based on the region’s rich endemic biodiversity. Hatay is home to a unique variety of medicinal and aromatic plants (saffron, salep, thyme, zahter, melissa, sage, laurel, sumac, hawthorn, etc.) and endemic flowers (gladiolus, narcissus). We have operational production capacity: • Cold-pressed seed oils (black seed, sesame, pomegranate seed, walnut – approx. 500 kg/month). • Essential oils and hydrosols (thyme, zahter, püren, and especially laurel oil, approx. 20 kg/month). • Laurel is a symbolic plant of our region, traditionally used in laurel soap, a key local product. Our innovation projects include: • EcoFuture Fermentation Hub (developing vinegar & fermentation products from sumac and hawthorn), • Cut rose greenhouse project (submitted to IPARD/TKDK), • Water innovation (harvesting atmospheric humidity for drip irrigation), • Land reclamation (making rocky lands cultivable for aromatic plants). We have proven capacity in cooperation and training: • Providing seeds and harvest guarantees to other women’s cooperatives, • Preparing an 80-page feasibility study on black seed production, • Organizing training courses (e.g., online saffron cultivation for 60+ women), • Regular contributions to municipal agricultural workshops. We are actively looking for European partners in the fields of: • Social economy, green entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, • Sustainable agriculture and biodiversity-based innovation, • Participation in future ESF+, Erasmus+, and Horizon Europe calls as a strong Turkish partner. www.yediverenkoop.com.tr