Gökkale Tarim Gida Ltd. Şti. is a tomato growing company located in Aydin / Sultanhisar Turkey. The company started with 5 ha of high-tech greenhouse in 2009 and expanded to 15 ha in 2011. Its focus is on sustainable, fresh, high-quality products for the export market. Today 60% of its annual 5000 tonnes production of truss, cocktail and truss plum tomato is exported to the Netherlands, Germany and Russia. Brands include Enjoy, Prins and Gökkale. Plant manager Şerafettin Bildi explains the reasons behind the company’s growth and highlights the contribution of Biological crop protection from Biobest.
Şerafettin Bildi shares his views on key success factors in the export market. International customers need a reliable and predictable supply of high quality, sustainable and safe products that protect human health. Production manager Yasin Karaca was given a clear mandate: make sure that product quality is fully in line with international standards.
Yasin Karaca is proud to have met the challenge. He explains: “My experience in the Netherlands was of course a big asset. Nevertheless, the conditions in Turkey are quite different and achieving the same standards in a very different setting is not easy. It was very important to me to get the best advice possible. My cooperation with Biobest for pollination and integrated pest management was critical on my path to success. We have now worked with Biobest for 6 years in a row. Their bumblebee hives and biocontrol products have constantly been of top-quality. And they come with outstanding technical advice. Biobest advisors have a lot of experience. They visit our greenhouses on a regular basis and share knowledge and information.”
“The use of biocontrol in Turkey in the context of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy is a relatively recent development. We started using Biobest’s biocontrol solutions in the smaller 5 ha greenhouse. The results were convincing. We then decided to apply IPM to our complete production area. This was very important to guarantee absence of chemical residues in our products. The main European markets put strong emphasis on safe, healthy products. Our success in bumblebee pollination and biocontrol helped us on take significant steps in that direction”, adds Yasin.
Şerafettin Bildi concludes: ”We have made food safety an absolute top priority, it is embedded in every step of our operation and in the hearts and minds of every company employee. This has helped us a lot to obtain important certifications. Our company is now BRC, Global Gap, ITU and ISO 22000 certified. Having earned the trust and commitment of our customers and counting on the latest technologies in biocontrol from Biobest we can look to the future with confidence.”
For more information
Biobest Belgium N.V.
Hasan Yildirim
T: +32 14 25.79.80
F: +32 14 25.79.82