Marmarabirlik is a Turkish olive production company. It was established on 28 June 1954 as a Union of Agricultural Sales Cooperative (UASC), cultivating, harvesting and marketing of olives with mutual assistance and cooperation of the region's olive farmers. The founder members of Marmarabirlik were respectively Gemlik, Mudanya and Erdek Olive Agriculture Sales Cooperatives. Subsequently, Orhangazi, İznik, Edincik, Mürefte, and Marmara Island Olive Agriculture Sales Cooperatives joined the union. Currently, the operating area has extended from İznik Lake to the South Coast of Marmara Sea and Mürefte; a total of eight member cooperatives have evolved into a union. The general manager of Marmara Birlik is İsmail Acar and the chairman of the board of directors is Hidamet Asa. It is the largest olive producer in Turkey by its purchasing, processing and sales capacity. The company has an average capacity of 30,000 tons of olive purchasing, processing, and sales each year. Marmarabirlik has ranked as the 345th company with its annual turnover among the list of largest 500 industrial establishment in Turkey, organized by Istanbul Chamber of Industry. It also has ranked 41st largest company in the province of Bursa, organized by Bursa Chamber of Industry. In addition, Marmarabirlik has 28,500 members consisted from olive farmers. The company provides new technologies, inputs, and cash credits to olive farmers. In April 2011, Marmarabirlik signed a protocol with Ziraat Bank in order to provide agricultural credits for its members. Sales and marketing activities Marmarabirlik is also known under the slogan The Name of Olive, that meets the domestics and foreign consumers' needs of black and green table olives, olive oil, and olive paste with averagely 30,000 tons of fresh olive per year, which have received from partners' of members. Marmarabirlik conducts sales and marketing activities of produced its products to whole of Turkey with 58 dealers in 78 provinces, to Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Russia, Northern Cyprus, Bulgaria and to whole Europe with contracted buyer companies and furthermore to Canada, United States and Australia markets. Marmarabirlik does not only communicate with its consumers through the dealers, but it also communicates via online trading. Two websites were established on the internet for the purpose of corporate operations and e-commerce. The first of these, marmarabirlik.com.tr is an official website of the union which leads to digital communications with consumers, suppliers, dealers, and members. This website is published in Turkish and English Languages and has been operating since