Emtar Tarim, a company based in Antalya, exports edible flowers to luxury hotels in the Maldives and Seychelles via air freight.
The company, based in Serik, Antalya, grows special agricultural products including edible flowers, micro sprouts, living lettuce and miniature vegetables.
Their production takes place in an area of 90 hectares, of which 30 hectares are closed and the remaining 60 hectares are open fields.
Mesut Turk, the company's owner, underlined that they have an online shop with the brand Greenada and that they also sell products to supermarket chains, hotels and restaurants. Stating that they produce nearly 30 varieties of edible flowers, Turk said: "Edible flowers have become very popular in Turkey. We produce 5 to 6 varieties of red and white plum flowers, cucumber flower, borage flower (star flower), mini carnations, onion flower, violet flower varieties, echinacea, latin flower, bean flower, spurge, daisy and rose edible varieties."
The most popular edible flowers include that of violet flowers, carnations, cucumber, plums, echinacea and borage flowers, said Mesut Turk. One package includes 12 edible flowers and costs 10 Turkish Lira (1.57 Euro). Turk pointed out that the products are fragile, therefore exports are limited to air freight.
Source: Haber Antalya, Greenada