Interview: Mine Ataman

In BBM Mutfak Talks, we continue to discuss the future of agriculture and food with guests who contribute to the agricultural and food ecosystem. As part of IDMA Istanbul, we held BBM Mutfak Talks under the main sponsorship of Özmen Un, with the motto “Taste the future.” We continue to publish these talks in our magazine. In this issue, we spoke with Işılay Reis Yorgun, the young female executive of Reis Gıda, about the pulse sector, which has seen growing interest worldwide in recent times. We’ve compiled the insights from the session, which was highly praised and hosted by our presenter Mine Ataman.

As BBM Mutfak, our motto always leads us to start with this question: What will we taste in the future?

Işılay Reis Yorgun

In the future, we will taste more plant-based protein. This trend is growing stronger each day. With the pandemic in 2020, people started leaning more toward healthier foods. They became more accustomed to high-protein products like pulses. Previously, we consumed more fast food-style snacks, but in recent years, plant-based protein has become a trend. In 2009, we launched the project “Obesity is Preventable” as part of the fight against obesity. That’s why I want to say that pulses, which are rich in plant-based protein, will be the food of the future. They have the same protein equivalent as meat but are much healthier with higher nutritional value.

Alright, we’ll be tasting more pulses in the future and incorporating them more into our dietary culture. So, what plans do you have in terms of production to achieve this?

Today, we’re talking about the food of the future, but we also must not overlook sustainable agriculture and food security. Because our nutrition today means the nutrition of our children, grandchildren, and future generations. If we can’t maintain our production, we simply won’t have any food to eat. Food production is a shared responsibility from the farmers working in the fields to those of us living in cities, and it’s a chain of many links from the field to the fork. If one of these links weakens, our food will be in danger. Therefore, we must adopt sustainable farming and protect our lands. Alongside the pandemic, we’ve faced climate change, wars, migrations, and natural disasters—threats that have reached a point where they endanger humanity’s future. So, what are we doing at this point? We place great importance on producing certified seeds. In 2020, we launched the Reis Legume Villages project. We started with 20 female producers in Bolu and have since reached 60 women. With a more egalitarian approach, we aimed to involve female producers to work with us in this initiative.

Did you provide the certified seeds to the women?

Initially, we ensured the production of our seeds, and later we certified them. Why are certified seeds important today? Because you get higher yields with fewer resources. Unfortunately, our water resources are running out; we’re on the path to becoming a water-poor nation. That’s why we need to take immediate action. We say water is life, water is food. Without water, we cannot produce our food. This is why we carry out such efforts. Of course, it wasn’t limited to Bolu. Later, we produced rice on 480 acres of land in Bafra, Samsun.

We planted three types of rice seeds from the Trakya Agricultural Research Institute. We turned them into certified seeds and became seed producers. I take great pride in being a seed producer. 

The issue of seeds is crucial. As they say, seeds are the bullets of food wars. They are so valuable because seeds carry everything within them. 

Without seeds, we lose our independence. Therefore, seeds are one of the essential resources to prevent hunger. That’s why we continue this project to protect our heritage seeds. At the same time, we have an ongoing project in Çarıklı Village in Niğde, where we also run a family farming project.

Why family farming? 

Because if we look at rural Turkey, the average age of our farmers is sadly around 57. This is quite disheartening. We need to encourage our youth to get involved in agriculture. Moreover, we now have artificial intelligence technologies, smart irrigation systems, and drone systems that we can use in agriculture. We initiated family farming to promote the use of these technologies and prevent migration, while also including our youth and women in our project. The goal here is to help young people continue their lives in their villages and guide them towards smart farming systems. Smart farming villages have already begun to be established in our country, which is both significant and encouraging. 

 You’ve become a key stakeholder contributing to the food ecosystem. You’ve shifted from factories to discussing fields, crops, and seeds. You’re transferring your know-how to agricultural production. İspir beans are perhaps one of the most sought-after beans in Turkey, but they’re only produced in İspir district. While around 10 tons are produced, the market sells 50 tons labeled as İspir beans. Do you have any projects related to the production of İspir beans?

We are working on it in different regions. We did this in Niğde as well. Of course, due to climate change, there is the possibility that it may not thrive in certain regions. We also did a farming application project for garlic in 2010. The soil structure can change within just a kilometer. That’s why İspir beans don’t grow in every region. Both İspir and sugar beans are highly sought after for their unique taste. 

WE PROVED THAT RED KIDNEY BEANS CAN BE GROWN IN TURKEY

You have mentioned good agricultural practices. In this new era, what are you doing in relation to regenerative agriculture?

Yes, we continue our projects by adopting methods such as regenerative agriculture. We focus not only on digitalization but also on how we can preserve the health of our soil. How can we prevent the use of pesticides? How can we reduce the need for chemicals? We are working on these aspects. When we look at the soil’s ability to retain carbon and water, we are employing regenerative agricultural methods to enhance this capacity. We are also guiding our producers towards different crops. For example, in 2022, we planted crops that had never been cultivated in our country before, such as red kidney beans, black chickpeas, and black beans, in Niğde. We are still continuing this production. We initially started with a pilot project in Çarıklı village. The production went very well, and the harvest was highly successful. This encouraged other producers, and farmers from neighboring villages also started planting these seeds. We proved that red kidney beans can indeed be grown in Turkey. 

They say culture ferments in the kitchen. You are essentially carrying the eating and nutrition habits of Turkish culture and world culture across generations. Once legumes arrive at the factory, how are they processed and packaged before reaching us? Is there any change during this processing? What do you pay attention to? 

The processing techniques vary for each of our products. We have color sorters, sorting machines, and optical sorters. For instance, we perform grain counting and separation for rice. The separation process is different for Baldo rice and Osmancık rice, for example. Of course, the storage conditions for these grains also differ. It’s crucial to maintain a low humidity level. I would say that moisture and humidity are the biggest enemies of legumes. Therefore, we must keep them away from moisture. For example, when it comes to rice, you need to keep the product in its paddy form. When it’s time to package, it must be hulled to minimize exposure to moisture. Each separation process is organized differently for this reason.

Maintaining quality standards is essential for all of us. After all, it’s a product that travels from the field to the fork. We strive for traceability from the farm to your fork. A study conducted by Nielsen in this regard showed that among 1,024 women who cook at home, Reis Bakliyat emerged as the most trusted, preferred, and recommended brand. 

We know that pulses are the foods of the future. How can we enhance the nutritional value of legumes and ensure they find a more prominent place on our tables? How will we taste them?

I previously mentioned that they will have a greater presence on our tables. A report on the 50 foods of the future has been compiled, and many of these are products cultivated on Anatolian soil, such as Horasan wheat and quinoa. We also have products like mung beans and sugar beans, especially Siyez wheat. To taste the foods of the future, we need to focus on their development, innovation, and R&D efforts. On one side, we are developing our wheat flour, and on the other, we are working on pulses flours. There is currently a trend towards plant-based proteins in future foods, so we need to incorporate high-nutrition lentil flour, chickpea flour, and bean flour. We will have a project regarding pulses flours, and hopefully, in the future, we will work on sprouted legume flours as well. Sprouted legumes are also highly valuable due to their easy digestibility, but unfortunately, they are not well-known in our country. We need to raise awareness about them in society. 

In the past, pulses were perceived as food for lower income groups. Now, we see an increase in both chickpea and dry bean consumption. Additionally, research conducted abroad asked young people what they would need to consume plant-based cultured meats—“If you combine them with known legumes or flours, we will consume them,” they said. The results indicate that pulses will not only be consumed on their own but will also nourish the cultured food industry. If there’s bean in cultured meat, they are willing to try it.

We need to implement these ideas. Previously, when we talked about chickpeas, beans, and lentils, we primarily thought of traditional dishes like chickpea stew, lentil soup, or bean casserole. But now, it’s different. We can list many more dishes, such as chickpea patties, lentil balls, and hummus. We can enumerate countless recipes using chickpeas or lentils. We can enrich them as alternative foods through various combinations. 

Previously, the Turkish Exporters Assembly had various product promotion groups for different Turkish products. Some of them have closed down. Are there any activities for promoting pulses?

I served on the board of the Turkish Exporters Assembly for four consecutive terms. Our promotion group at the Istanbul Legumes and Oilseeds Exporters Association has been reestablished. Here, both our special products and our geographically indicated products hold significant value. The number of geographical indications is increasing worldwide, and we have many valuable products, such as Taşköprü garlic, Siyez wheat, and Malatya apricots. We need to highlight these and promote them to the world. 

Additionally, we established a Women’s Platform within the Exporters Association that inspires export activities. We started with 30 women, and they have incredibly valuable products. For instance, a member who makes apricot baklava in Malatya was selling baklava in Gaziantep, the birthplace of baklava, but has now begun exporting it. We have female members producing various teas and making bars from legumes. These are also quite valuable. We don’t set limits on diversifying food products. Promoting these abroad is highly meaningful. We cannot keep what is produced in our country only here. Our export potential has tripled, and I believe it will continue to grow significantly. 

However, I see some challenges in the cooperative structure, as they unfortunately face difficulties in selling their products. You are quite familiar with the map of legumes in Turkey. In this regard, do you provide support to those producing in Anatolia to help them survive and export through guidance?

The beginning of our First Legume Villages project started this way. I received information about a women’s cooperative in Bolu that was about to close. When we visited, we saw that they were producing items like tarhana, pasta, and tomato paste. Although I know a lot about legumes, I couldn’t conduct a project related to legume products. Instead, I bought their products and distributed them as gifts. Later, we spoke with the women who founded the cooperative. We asked, “Would you plant beans and chickpeas?” They replied that they were planting for themselves. We offered to provide seeds and asked if they would plant these products with us. We collaborated with the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture in Bolu. We have conducted similar projects in other provinces as well. Our agricultural engineers provided the necessary information. After receiving support regarding fertilizers and irrigation, our producers planted these crops. If you instill confidence in the producers, they are ready to plant. Therefore, we continually visit those regions and meet face-to-face with our producers to build their confidence, which is crucial for the continuity of production. For example, quinoa was not previously cultivated in our country. Together with a professor from Namık Kemal University in İpsala, we successfully planted it for the first time in our country. Similarly, we introduced black rice as a new crop. Our lands are very fertile, and we can grow any crop as long as we establish this trust.

Currently, we are working on a basin-based support model that outlines what and how to plant in each region. This is very important because, as long as climate change continues, there will unfortunately be changes in planting, harvesting, and maturation times for crops. Therefore, if we know what to plant in which region and plant accordingly, we can achieve much more productive lands. 

For example, cotton has been planted in the Harran Plain for 28 years. However, since 2022, they have been planting lentils as a winter intercrop. This has led to increased yields in cotton. Legumes, such as lentils, are a source of plant-based protein that helps balance nitrogen in the soil. By incorporating legume crops as intercrops, we can maintain the fertility of our soils. 

You mentioned new seed development or regenerative agriculture in response to this climate disaster. Can you share your work in this area with us?

Of course! Alongside regenerative agriculture methods, we have another project ongoing. We are working on agrivoltaic agriculture, which involves production under solar panels. Agrivoltaic agriculture is undoubtedly of great importance for our future as it simultaneously provides food and clean energy production. We need to implement climate change adaptation efforts as soon as possible. We must undertake these initiatives to increase production; without production, we won’t have food or anything to eat. 

Our work related to agrivoltaic agriculture is still ongoing. Additionally, we are conducting projects with Provincial Directorates of Agriculture and our agricultural engineers on certified seeds, contract farming, and regenerative agriculture, including agrivoltaic agriculture.

Do you have a vision for the shape, flavor, and nutritional value of legumes on our tables in 20 years? Do you have any predictions about what the pulses we consume will be like? 

Legumes will be diversified and present on all tables. We will eat different legume products, from cookies to baklava. The most important thing is to be able to live in a healthy world. We will create that healthy world. Therefore, we need to pay attention to what we eat. What we eat is our future. 

Is there information about who consumes what legumes more in the Turkish legume map? Is there something like which region consumes which legumes in our eating habits?

Actually, the rule is this: wherever a product is produced more, that region consumes that product more. They eat locally. They take ownership of their products and prefer to consume what they have planted in their own soil.