Guide

Finding a food producer in Türkiye: the options compared

Lotvela · Gaziantep · Checked 28 October 2026

A foreign buyer can find food producers in Türkiye through seven channels: exporters' associations, Turkish commercial counsellors abroad, trade fairs, B2B directories, chambers and commodity exchanges, direct outreach, and sourcing agents. Associations and chambers are official bodies whose membership is compulsory by law; fairs and directories show who chose to exhibit or list; agents filter for you but are paid by someone. Whichever you use, you still check the company's registration, certificates, samples and the shipped lot yourself.

1. Exporters' associations

The Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) is the umbrella body for 61 exporters' associations in 27 sectors, governed by Law No. 5910. Article 4 of that law makes membership of the relevant association compulsory for exporters. Food associations include:

Ege Kuru Meyve ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği (dried fruit), part of Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri (EİB) in İzmir
Ege Zeytin ve Zeytinyağı İhracatçıları Birliği (olives and olive oil), also part of EİB
Karadeniz Fındık ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği (hazelnuts), part of Karadeniz İhracatçı Birlikleri
Güneydoğu Anadolu İhracatçı Birlikleri (GAİB) in Gaziantep, whose associations include dried fruit and products, and cereals, pulses and oilseeds

Cost: not published; ask the association. What is checked: membership shows that a company exports through the association, not that it suits your product, volume or market. EİB and GAİB link member lists from their sites. Limits: a member list is unfiltered and shows no capacity, certificates or free production window.

2. Turkish commercial counsellors abroad

The Ministry of Trade has commercial counsellors and attachés (Ticaret Müşavirlikleri) at Turkish embassies and consulates, with contact details on its English site. Their published role is mainly to give Turkish exporters market information and sector reports. The ministry also circulates a Foreign Demands Bulletin (Dış Talepler Bülteni) of import requests, tenders and cooperation offers received from abroad.

Cost: varies; ask the office in your country. What is checked: we found no published service that vets suppliers for foreign buyers. Limits: exporters who answer a request still need every check below.

3. Trade fairs

Dates below are as stated by each organiser:

WorldFood Istanbul, organised by ICA Events: 15–18 December 2026 at the Istanbul Expo Center.
Anuga, Cologne, organised by Koelnmesse with BVLH: every two years in October; next 9–13 October 2027.
SIAL Paris, Paris Nord Villepinte: the 2026 edition ran 17–21 October.
Gulfood, Dubai, organised by Dubai World Trade Centre: next 15–19 March 2027.
PLMA's World of Private Label, Amsterdam, a private-label show: next 25–26 May 2027 (see our private-label guide).

Cost: varies with tickets, travel and time. What is checked: an exhibitor list shows who took a stand; it is not a supplier check. Limits: you meet sales staff, not the plant, and only companies that exhibit.

4. B2B directories and marketplaces

Listing directories give a company's name, address and product categories. Marketplaces let companies build their own profiles and receive enquiries. Examples include Europages and Kompass.

Cost: varies by platform. What is checked: profiles are self-declared. If a platform shows a "verified" badge, ask what was verified, by whom and when. Limits: a profile cannot show whether a company makes the product or trades it.

5. Chambers of commerce and industry, and commodity exchanges

Under Article 9 of Law No. 5174, every trader in the trade registry, and every industrialist, must register with the chamber where it is located. TOBB is the union of chambers and commodity exchanges. Gaziantep, for example, has a Chamber of Commerce (GTO), a Chamber of Industry (GSO), which lists member firms on its English site, and a Commodity Exchange (GTB), which publishes activity and statistical reports.

Cost: varies. What is checked: ask the chamber to confirm membership. Limits: compulsory membership shows legal existence, not quality or export experience.

6. Direct outreach

You search the web and write to producers. Cost: your own time. What is checked: nothing, unless you check it. Limits: a website is marketing. Ask whether the company runs the production site or buys from others; both are legitimate, but you need to know which.

7. Sourcing agents and intermediaries, including Lotvela

Agents shortlist producers, arrange samples and sometimes follow production. They are paid in two main ways:

Buyer-paid: a fee or a share of order value. The agent works for you, at your cost. Ask in writing whether it also receives anything from suppliers.
Producer-paid: a commission from the producer on a sale, free for you. The agent is paid only if a sale happens, and if rates differ, it has a reason to favour the producer that pays more.

Lotvela is a producer-paid intermediary in Gaziantep. The commission is the same rate for every producer and is stated in each written shortlist, so the fee does not decide which producers go on it. That removes one bias, not all: Lotvela is still paid only when a sale happens. Its limits are plain. It launched in October 2026 and has no track record yet. It has no fixed list; it approaches producers that fit each brief. It marks each claim confirmed or not confirmed, but you still make the checks below. The producer invoices and ships, and money never passes through Lotvela.

The channels compared

Channel	What you get	What you still have to check
Exporters' associations	Official members who export your product group	Fit, capacity, certificates, samples
Commercial counsellors	Market information; your request may reach exporters	Everything about each exporter who replies
Trade fairs	Face-to-face meetings and products to see	The plant, certificates, lot samples
B2B directories	Many names, quickly	Every claim in the profile
Chambers and exchanges	Local members and confirmation of membership	Export record, quality, certificates
Direct outreach	Producers you chose yourself	Registration, whether it makes or trades, everything else
Sourcing agents	A filtered shortlist	Who pays the agent, and the key claims yourself

Checks that apply whatever the channel

The company: ask for its full trade name, trade registry office and number, and MERSİS number. MERSİS is the Ministry of Trade's central registry system, but its company query needs a login and is aimed at a company's own partners and officers. Search the Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi, which TOBB publishes free online, for the company's registry announcements.
Export registration: ask which exporters' association the company belongs to, and confirm with that association. Ask for its food business registration or approval number from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Certificates: check BRCGS certificates in the BRCGS Directory; a free account lets you validate them. IFS says certificates can be verified in the IFS Database. Check that scope and site match.
Samples: take a sample from a production lot and test it in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory.
Pre-shipment inspection: name an independent inspector in the contract to check quantity, packing and marks, and that the lot matches the approved sample.

Our sourcing checklist covers each step, and our documents guide lists what you should receive with the goods.

Questions buyers ask

Are exporters' associations free to contact?

Their addresses and phone numbers are public, and anyone can write to them. We found no fee published for a buyer's enquiry, but ask before you rely on a service. EİB and GAİB link member lists from their sites. Membership is compulsory for exporters, so a list shows who exports through the association, not who suits your product, volume or market.

How do I check a Turkish company is real?

Ask for its full trade name, trade registry number and MERSİS number. Search the Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi, which TOBB has published free online since 1 October 2003, for its registry announcements. Ask its local chamber to confirm membership, which Law No. 5174 makes compulsory. Then check that the address matches its food business registration.

How do I verify a BRC or IFS certificate?

Do not rely on a PDF copy. For BRCGS, search the BRCGS Directory; a free Directory Lite account lets you validate certificates and see their live status. For IFS, use the IFS Database, which IFS says can verify certificates and letters of confirmation. In both, check that the scope covers your product and the producing site.

Is a sourcing agent paid by the producer biased?

It can be. A producer-paid agent earns only when a sale happens, and if rates differ between producers, it has a reason to favour the higher payer. Ask who pays it, how much, and whether the rate is uniform. Lotvela uses the same rate for every producer and states it in each shortlist, but you should still verify key claims yourself.

Sending a brief to Lotvela

If you want a shortlist alongside your own search, send a brief. Lotvela approaches producers that fit, checks product fit, a free production window, export record and documents, and sends a dated shortlist with every claim marked confirmed or not confirmed. It is free for buyers; the producer pays the commission.