Merve Store

Details

Run by Merve Gökmen (wife of Mehmet) and her mum Saliyah, Merve Store offers discerning visitors a huge range of natural, organic products.

The store stocks over 30 fresh spices such as sumac, saffron, black/red pepper, mint, rosemary, curry, turmeric, cardamom seeds - all available to be weighed out in whatever quantity the customer requires.

A range of Turkish Delight is available in familiar pre-packed boxes. Merve Store also has hand-made, diabetic Turkish Delight from local sources in various flavours like Almond (from Datca), Fig and Mandarin. The store also supplies various peanut butters (including some suitable for diabetics) e.g. hazelnut, almond. Naturally, the ever-popular Turunç (orange) jam is also stocked.

Various natural teas - many with health-giving properties - can be bought here such as green, eucalyptus, mango. When it comes to coffees, Merve Store carries a range of blends from across the globe including Nicaragua, Ethiopia; some flavoured blends are also on offer such as almond.

A wide selection of hand made olive oils takes up a large section of the store. These come in a variety of herb-infused flavours. Olive milk, organic vinegars and a small selection of essential oils round out this section. New this year is a collection of scented candles - hand-made by Merve.

The centre of the store is taken up with a table showcasing a huge selection of hand-made soaps some with an unusual basis (e.g. goats milk, donkey milk!) as well as the more common olive and almond products.

Honey is one of the main themes of Merve Store. Eight honey varieties are on offer; all of these are locally-sourced with the exception of chestnut (from Bursa) and include pine, carob, and heather. The honeys are sold in various glass jar sizes 1/4kg, 1/2kg, 1kg and some is available in tins - safer for travel. Honey is known to have many health benefits and a large blackboard explains some of these - although you might need help getting the Turkish translated! More unusual honey-based products include almonds steeped in honey and pollen seeds.

And - don't leave the store without looking up! Hanging from the ceiling you'll see a selection of dried vegetables such as peppers, aubergines and tomatoes (yes - I know it's a fruit!).

Merve Store is well-worth a leisurely browse - some very unusual natural products - and great smells and tastes.