Karatay Lavender Garden, the largest lavender garden in Türkiye, once again welcomed local and international visitors throughout July this year. Covered in beautiful shades of purple, the garden became a popular destination for photography enthusiasts, nature lovers and visitors. With the visitor season now over, harvesting operations have begun.
Karatay Mayor Hasan Kılca visited the site to oversee the harvest and met with teams from the Directorate of Parks and Gardens to receive information about the ongoing work. Kılca also took the wheel of a lavender harvesting machine and joined the teams in the field for a while.
The lavender carefully harvested by teams from the Directorate of Parks and Gardens is processed after harvesting and used as a raw material for a variety of products. Lavender oil and lavender water are used to produce a wide range of value-added products, including soda, ice cream, soap, candles, creams, cologne and lavender oil.
Karatay Mayor Hasan Kılca said they had concluded a successful season at the Lavender Garden, which welcomed large numbers of visitors, and noted that the harvest season has now begun.
“After starting with our lavender festivals at the beginning of July, the season is now continuing with the harvest. This year, more than 500,000 visitors came to our Karatay Lavender Gardens. We welcomed guests from Konya, different cities across Türkiye and abroad. Now it is time to harvest our lavender and turn it into value-added products,” Kılca said.
“The real story of lavender begins after the harvest,” Kılca said, explaining that the plants are no longer simply a visual attraction in the gardens once harvesting begins, but are instead processed into a variety of products. He noted that lavender is used in many different areas, from soda and ice cream to soap, creams, detergents and cosmetics, emphasizing that this process brings lavender into production and contributes to the economy.
Kılca also highlighted the important role played by women’s cooperatives in the production process. “Our lavender is processed and turned into products by our women’s cooperative. In this way, we create added value while also contributing to women’s employment,” he said.
Thanking the municipal staff involved in the harvest, Kılca added that the Karatay Lavender Gardens will welcome visitors again next year with even more vibrant festivals and events.
