She first produced for his family, and when she saw the demand, she established her brand: She opened up to the world with superfood.
Chemist Özlem Erarslan discovered olive oil with high polyphenols while researching for her father’s illness and her premature babies. First she rolled up his sleeves for his family, and when the demand increased, she established her brand. The journey that started in a 40 square meter shop has crossed the borders of the country today. Erarslan both sends and exports many products such as olive oil, honey, tarhana, nutritious syrup produced under the Ravla brand to 81 cities of Turkey via e-commerce channel. The products, which attracted great interest in Europe, also received demand from the Middle East market. The goal is to create a global brand with superfoods.
The entrepreneurial story of Özlem Erarslan, a phytotherapy specialist and a chemist mother who has done extensive research on olive oil, started with her family. Erarslan, who was doing research for his father, who had cancer and many chronic diseases, discovered olive oil with high polyphenols. After seeing improvements in her father’s health, Erarslan received special training from the pharmacy faculties to specialize on the phenolic and antioxidant components of foods and began to procure different samples of high polyphenol olive oil from many parts of the world. At the same time, Erarslan, who deepened her research on the premature birth of her two babies, first started to produce and work for her family. Let’s hear the rest from Erarslan…
Visited City to City
Stating that she brought olive oil with the features she wanted in the first place from abroad, Erarslan said that she later traveled from province to province to find the best product in Turkey, and explained the process as follows: “First, I started producing olive oil with high polyphenols for my family. After long research, I found the product of the quality I wanted, I made an agreement with the manufacturer. Then, when the demands came from my environment, I decided to do it as a professional job. In 2018, I set out by holding a 40 square meter shop.” Stating that she set the goal of becoming a global brand at the beginning of the road, and that she registered her brand in 32 countries for this, Erarslan stated that she worked for the establishment of the system, permissions and the necessary infrastructure in its first year.
Products are Diversified
Stating that in 2020, she started to receive orders from outside her surroundings, Erarslan said, “As the orders increased, I stepped into the logistics network and started to work with a professional company in its field. In 2021, we moved to our new facility of 300 square meters. The main goal is to bring functional foods together with people. I didn’t want to be limited to olive oil. I also developed new products such as honey, tarhana, dried figs, nutritious syrup. The most important part of the job is the right product and the right process management. For example, it is necessary to find the best olives first. Then the olives are picked one by one by hand. It is important that harvested person does not drink alcohol or spray perfume. The tape being squeezed is also special for us. Here, our product should not be mixed with any other oil. I made an agreement with a producer in the mountains of Strandja for honey. Beekeepers produce it for us, we do the necessary analysis and reach the right product. We send it to 81 cities with both our website and e-commerce platforms.”
Superfood Attracted and Attention Abroad
As the brand’s awareness increased, the country borders were also exceeded. Erarslan stated that they export to many countries and the countries, they are most active in England, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Erarslan stated that they have signed a signature that will enable them to open up to the Middle East market in the near future. In the first place, the numbers will ensure the promotion of the products. My prediction for 2024 is to send 200 thousand packages of products,” she said.
Growth 6 Times in Turnover in 1 Year
Expressing that they have achieved a 6-fold growth in turnover in the last one year, Özlem Erarslan also gave the following information about production numbers: “In 2021, we had an average of 60 packages per day. In 2022, we reached 350-400 units per day. Today, the necessary infrastructure for 1000 packages per day is ready.” According to the information provided by Erarslan, the brand received a silver medal in the Berlin Global Olive Oil Competition in 2020 and became one of the two Turkish brands to receive an award. In the same year, another silver medal came from London, and in 2021, it won a silver medal at the Berlin Global Olive Oil Competition and a gold medal at the Japan Global Olive Oil Competition. Ravla was also awarded a silver medal in the Berlin Global Olive Oil Competition in 2022.