Why Our Forest is Sustainable?  

Trees are essential to our ecosystem. Since they can store carbon and produce additional oxygen for our planet, they are usually referred to as the ‘’lungs’’ of the earth. Trees also stabilize the soil, lower air temperature, and humidity, as well as reduce flooding, and improve water quality. Without trees, we wouldn’t be able to call this planet our home. Trees create habitat for plants and animals. Where there are trees, wildlife, and other plants spring to life, and healthy ecosystems are formed. 

How much CO2 can Hic Olive Forest absorb?
A typical tree can absorb around 22 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, however, this figure is only achieved when the tree is fully grown. Saplings on the other hand will absorb significantly less than this figure. A tree with a lifespan of more than 100 years can absorb around a tonne of CO2. While this might seem like a significant amount, humans emit around 40 billion tonnes of CO2 each year which means that we’d have to plant 40 billion trees annually to offset the emission from us. Even if this was possible, the land area would be significantly reduced. 
Protected by organic farming principles, Hiç Olive Forest emits around 10.7 tonnes of CO2 while absorbing around 26.8 tonnes of CO2. This is more than enough to neutralize the amount of carbon footprint created by the brand and contributes to the protection of Urla’s clean future. Hiç Zeytin Ormanı yılda 10,7 ton atığın çevreye verdiği zarara eşdeğer oaranda 26,8 ton CO₂ yutarak, markanın üretim faaliyetleri ile yaratılan karbon ayak izini fazlasıyla sıfırlamakta ve Urla’nın temiz geleceğini korumaya katkı sağlamaktadır.

Why our Olive Oil Sustainable? 

Ormanın doğal ekosistemini bozmadan yenilebilen enerji kaynağı olan güneş enerjisi ile yetiştirdiğimiz ve yağmur suları ile suladığımız zeytinlerden elde ettiğimiz zeytinyağımız, olabilecek en düşük karbon ayak izine sahip yağ üretim sistemine örnek teşkil etmekte. Buna karşın; masif tarım politikaları ile ormanları yok ederek tarımsal alanlara dönüştüren palm ( hurma) yağı, ve soya yağı örneklerinde gördüğümüz gibi çevreye kalıcı zararlar verilmekte; ormanlar yerini kuraklaştırılmış tek düze tarıma mahkum edilmiş endüstriyel alanlara bırakmaktadır. 
Bu tarz tarımsal modellerde; orman alanı temizlendikten sonra, genellikle ağaçların yerini çiftlik hayvanları ve mahsuller alarak daha da fazla sera gazı oluşumunun önü açılır.
Unutmayalım ki; Sürdürülebilirliğin önemli bir kanadı olan sosyal sürdürülebilirlik için “zeytinyağı” önemli bir aktör. 
Zeytinyağı sunulduğu sofralara sadece lezzetini ve sağlığı değil, geldiği bölgenin tarihi, gastronomik ve kültürel değerlerini de sofraya taşıyan bir kültür elçisi. Urla’nın tarihi kültürel ve gastronomik değeri olan zeytinyağına sahip çıkıyoruz. Urla’nın gastronomik serveti zeytinyağı üzerinden dünyaya açılması bölgemizin bilinirliği ve doğru bir hedef turist kitlesi olan “gastronomi turizmine” açacak önemli bir kapıdır. 

Our olive is produced in the best qualities since we characterize it as our envoy for representing our region. We present our olive oil in triangular glass prism bottles. . We are the first olive oil brand that export from Urla to abroad. We process our organic certified olives in our own organic certified facility. . Our founding partner, ONAOO Professional Olive Oil Tasting Expert Duygu Özerson Elakdar provides’’Olive Oil Litereacy’’ training to our visitors. 
1200 people were provided with training since we started operating within Urla Cooking Class in July 2020. This number is increasing with each passing day with increasing interest. of the people that participate in the trainings are producers who are interested in olive farming. They either aim to become a brand by producing olive oil or wish to increase the quality in their investments. . .. ., .. . . 
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Turkiye's First Certified ‘’Sustainable Restaurant’’: Hic Restaurant. 
Swiss based EcoCOOK Certification is the first certification registration system specific to the food and beverage industry in the world.In Juin 2023, our Restaurant will be registered as the first certified ‘’Sustainable Restaurant’’ in Turkey after having passed the preliminary exam of the ‘’Sustainable Restaurant Certification’’ process with a high score and with a nomination to the Gold Medal. link: https://www.ecocook.com/en/restaurant/hic-restaurant/ In Metro Turkiye''s 2022 Impact Report, Hiç Lokanta was recognized as an Exemplary Sustainable Restaurant. link: https://brosurler.metro-tr.com/etki-raporu-2022/page/1 

How is Hic Restaurant Sustainable? 
*. We consider our environmental impact. of the products that we use (particularly olive oil and all the edible wild plants) are grown in our Forest and processed in our organically certified production facility. %60 oranında kendi tarımsal alanımızda yetiştirdiğimiz ve kendi organik sertifikalı üretim tesisimizde işlediğimiz ürünleri kullanıyoruz. 
* We are the first restaurant to bring the forest into your dining plate by enriching the approach of ‘’From Farm to Fork’’ with concepts such as ‘’From Forest to Fork’’ and ‘’Wild Foraging’’. In that sense, we embrace sustainability and provide an innovative perspective to agriculture and agriculture-based economic models based onsustainability and preserving the biodiversity..*. We consider our environmental impact. of the products that we use (particularly olive oil and all the edible wild plants) are grown in our Forest and processed in our organically certified production facility. * We are the first restaurant to bring the forest into your dining plate by enriching the approach of ‘’From Farm to Fork’’ with concepts such as ‘’From Forest to Fork’’ and ‘’Wild Foraging’’. In that sense, we embrace sustainability and provide an innovative perspective to agriculture and agriculture-based economic models based on sustainability and preserving the biodiversity. * Apart from our own products, we priorities using organic, local, seasonal and good agricultural practiced products.we priorities using organic, local,*. We consider our environmental impact. of the products that we use (particularly olive oil and all the edible wild plants) are grown in our Forest and processed in our organically certified production facility. * We are the first restaurant to bring the forest into your dining plate by enriching the approach of ‘’From Farm to Fork’’ with concepts such as ‘’From Forest to Fork’’ and ‘’Wild Foraging’’. In that sense, we embrace sustainability and provide an innovative perspective to agriculture and agriculture-based economic models based on sustainability and preserving the biodiversity. * Apart from our own products, we priorities using organic, local, seasonal and good agricultural practiced products.” yöntemiyle ekonomiye kazandırılan ilk besin ormanını sofraya yansıtan ilk lokantayız. Bu yönümüzle Sürdürülebilirlik ve Yerel Florayı korumak üzerine kurgulanmış tarıma ve tarıma dayalı ekonomik modellere yenilikçi bir bakış açısı getiriyor ve sürdürülebilirliğe gerçek anlamda sahip çıkıyoruz. 
*Kendi üretimimiz dışında kalan ürünlerin tedarikinde organik, yerel, sezonluk ve iyi tarım uygulaması ürünlerini kullanmaya öncelik veriyoruz. 
* Mutfağımızda asla ithal gıda ürünleri kullanmıyoruz. 
* İşlenmiş ürün tedarikimizi minimuma indirdik. Hazır sos, şarküteri, pasta malzemeleri, ekmek gibi ürünleri almıyor kendi mutfağımızda katkı maddesi ve koruyucu kullanmadan üretiyoruz. 
* Yerel tedarikçilerle çalışarak hem yerel kalkınma ya destek oluyor, hem de 60 km yaklaşımı ile karbon ayak izimizi azaltıyoruz.
* Karbon ayak izimizi hesaplıyor ve misafirlerimizin bu konuda farkındalığını arttırmak için Zeytince Derneği’nin paydaşı olduğu PSLifestyle’ı destekliyoruz.  
* Müşteri, çalışanlarımız ve topluma karşı sosyal etkilerimizi önemsiyoruz.
*Tedarikçilerimizin hayvansal ürünlerde hayvan refahı ilkelerini dikkate alan, adil ve verimli ticareti destekleyen, ekonomiye etkilerini göz önünde bulunduran, faaliyetlerinde minimum çevresel etki yaratacak şekilde enerji, su, atık yönetimi, ekipman seçimi gibi faktörleri göz önünde bulunduran üreticilerden olmasına özen gösteriyor ya da onları bu yönde ilerleme kaydetmeleri için bilgilendiriyor ve destekliyoruz. 
* Yapmış olduğumuz sürdürülebilir seçimleri tüketiciler ve paydaşlarımızla düzenli ve istikrarlı bir şekilde paylaşarak onları teşvik ediyor ve bu kültürün yaygınlaşmasına öncülük ediyoruz. 
* Hiç Lokanta 160 yıllık tarihi tescilli bir taş bina Binamızın restoran çalışmasından başlayarak kullandığımız inşaat ve dekorasyon malzemelerinin sürdürülebilirliğine (dayanıklı ve ekolojik inşaat malzemeleri ve geri dönüşüm) büyük önem gösterdik.  

* We never use imported food products in our kitchen. * We have minimized our supply of processed products.We dont use ready-made sauces, delicatessen or bread and we produce them in our own kitchen with no additives or preservatives. * By working with local suppliers, we support both the local development and reduce or carbon footprint with the 0km approach. 
* To raise awareness of our guests on this issue we take our carbon footprint into account and support PSLifeStyle of which Zeytince Association is a shareholder. * We are mindful of our social impacts towards our customers, employees and the society. *We pay special attention to buy our products from manufacturers who are considerate of animal welfare principals, support fair and efficient trade, mindful of their effect on economy and consider factors such as energy, water, waste management, equipment selection in a way that minimizes their effect on environment or we encourage and inform them to make progress regarding this issue. * We regularly and consistently share the choices we made regarding sustainability with our customers and shareholdersto encourage atık oluşumunu en aza indirmeye them and we pave the way for this culture become widespread.
* Some examples of our sustainable construction and decoration tools; Rainwater is collected on the roof of our restaurant and used for cleaning and watering flowers. Hiç Resturant is a registered stone building with 160 years of history. Starting with our restaurant business, we were mindful of the sustainability of the construction and decoration materials(durable and ecological construction materials and also recycling) . Our great table is made of hardwood that was recycled from solid wood. The silver tea sets we serve on our tables were made in 1915 and instead of tablecloth on tables we use place mats which were made of residiual chipboards. All of the chairs are from 2nd hand collections. On walls, instead of concrete zero chemical khorasan mortar was used We are business that considers resource efficiency and productivity in all of our decisions. We adopt responsible buying as a principle, support local production and consumption and aim to minimize waste generation in the consumption process. * We maintain 
our creativity and careful work by meticulously complying with the zero waste kitchen principles. (control beginning with purchase, controlled portions, waste assessment, waste sorting) 
*Nowadays, traditional methods come knocking on the door of modern kitchens, analog techniques are also a favorite of our kitchen team. 
* Some of these techniques are processing, acid cooking, fermentation, curing and malting. These techniques aside azaltma hedefleri from increasing the life span of the food, provide a sustainable and zero waste food supply 
* by concentrating and intensifiying nutritional values. We use zero waste preserving methods in our kitchen.* 
*We never use disposable plastic. * We measure our water, electricity and fuel consumption and set goals to reduce them prospectively.   *We only use olive oil since it is the healtiest one. Beyond that, as an olive oil producer 
we are aware of the important place of Urla in olive history and we are proud of it therefore we think that it is our responsibility to not use any other oil other than olive oil in our kitchen. *We assess all of our waste until they reach the stage where we can’t recycle them anymore, then we sort them accordingly. We compost all of our vegetal waste Sürdürülebilir balık and use them for plant nutrition for our olives in the forest. 
. https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions) 
*We use a sustainable menu. In it we include geographically marked , vegan, vegetarian and healthy products and we are working to reduce the rate of meat, sugar and salt. We also supply sustainable fish. * Food production accounts for about of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. (source: https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions) Since we are aware of this, we reduced the amount of red meat in our menu. We increased the use of vegetable protein such as legumes, organic and fermented soybeans, nuts, local seeds and grain with less environmental impact. * We reduced food waste by adjusting our portion sizes. * We don’t use tablecloth or disposable wipes. ** * * 
* * * 
**Since every excess dish means increase in water consumption and water pollution from detergent, kitchen and service staff were trained to produce less dish overall. Our guests are being informed on this regard and we have switched the change of cutlery from routine to ‘’when needed’’. . 
* We lead the way to make our region a ‘’brand destination’’ with our approach that embraces and exalts the unique values of Urla.Thanks to this we contribute to the creation of a value added cultural ecosystem that will benefit the entire region.*’’New Urla cuisine’’ is a concept that we update based on the present day’s needs and necessitiesto pave the way for providing consumers with healthyfood by enriching the variety of wild plants used in Urla’s traditional ‘’olive oil centric’’ rich culinary heritage. 
By updating it while keeping it true to its essence, we aim to advertise our local cuisine and pass it on to the future generations. * Owing to the fact that in the last 40 years, the rate of residing in the cities and countryside has changed from 1/3 to 3/1 respectively, number of suppliers decrease day by day therefore the physical state represented by the plate becomes pretty significant. Sustainable and subsistent agricultural practices are vital for both suppliers and consumers. 
* “We are a sustainable restaurant where “New Urla Cuisine”take great careto be directly producer oriented in material selection, so we convey the journey of the material until it reaches the plate in the form of ’’Plate Stories’’.. . . 
. We believe that the most important actor in the story of sustainability which begins on the soil and ends in the dinner plate, is YOU! Because YOU are what YOU eat. Your awareness is the only reason how producers and kitchen can keep up with this change. Let’s remember that 30 minutes of exercise a day is necessary for a long and healthy life! 
.                                      . . 
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100% Natural and Organically Certified Production Facility in Urla .. 
* ISO 22000, ISO 9001,  ISO 1002 . 
. With our olives harvested on a daily base from the slopes of Hic Olive Forest during harvesting season from september till december;. 
*Although the main operation of our facility is olive oil production, we utilise the edible wild plants we harvest each year from the Hiç Olive Forest by transforming them into value added herbal teas,sauces and jams. *We deliver all of our products to you through www.hicoliveoil.com with our own brand and ‘’Made in Urla’’ label... www.hicoliveoil.com . 
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*Although the main operation of our facility is olive oil production, we utilise the edible wild plants we harvest each year from the Hiç Olive Forest by transforming them into value added herbal teas,sauces and jams. *We deliver all of our products to you through www.hicoliveoil.com with our own brand and ‘’Made in Urla’’ label... www.hicoliveoil.com . 
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Harvesting Tours & Cooking Classes all along the year  

* In addition to being our production facility, 
Urla Cooking Class is a rendezvous point that has the goal of raising awareness among you within the framework of education and experience by including you in our ecosystem. Our aim is to make people understand and experience Urla’s rich culinary heritage by seeing and touching Urla’s rich biodiversity via cooking workshops and harvest tours. 
We created our own seed bank by keeping a record of edible and drinkable plants. These plants which have unique gastronomical values grows naturally in Urla’s habitat.We also created Urla’s edible wild plants inventory garden. In harvest tours, we encourage our guests to diversify their eating habits and have them access to healthier food  
* Through our social media accounts and harvest tours we continue to share information and raise awareness on edible wild plants. #wildfood

Our olive is produced in the best qualities since we characterize it as our envoy for representing our region. We present our olive oil in triangular glass prism bottles. . We are the first olive oil brand that export from Urla to abroad. We process our organic certified olives in our own organic certified facility. . Our founding partner, ONAOO Professional Olive Oil Tasting Expert Duygu Özerson Elakdar provides’’Olive Oil Litereacy’’ training to our visitors. 
1200 people were provided with training since we started operating within Urla Cooking Class in July 2020. This number is increasing with each passing day with increasing interest. of the people that participate in the trainings are producers who are interested in olive farming. They either aim to become a brand by producing olive oil or wish to increase the quality in their investments. . .. ., .. . . 
. . . 

* In addition to being our production facility, 
Urla Cooking Class is a rendezvous point that has the goal of raising awareness among you within the framework of education and experience by including you in our ecosystem. Our aim is to make people understand and experience Urla’s rich culinary heritage by seeing and touching Urla’s rich biodiversity via cooking workshops and harvest tours. 
We created our own seed bank by keeping a record of edible and drinkable plants. These plants which have unique gastronomical values grows naturally in Urla’s habitat.We also created Urla’s edible wild plants inventory garden. In harvest tours, we encourage our guests to diversify their eating habits and have them access to healthier food  
* Through our social media accounts and harvest tours we continue to share information and raise awareness on edible wild plants. #wildfood

We contribute to the story of sustainability which starts on the soil and ends at the at the table with handcrafted ceramic tableware collections.To discover our full collection you are invited to visit www.hicceramics.com