Largest olive oil tasting event (multiple venues)

The largest olive oil tasting event (multiple venues) is 13,424 participants and was achieved by Didim Chamber of Agriculture (Türkiye) in Didim, Türkiye, on 9 October 2026.

The record attempt successfully promoted awareness among younger generations regarding olive cultivation, high-quality olive oil, and the significance of local agricultural production, while also fostering a stronger connection between producers and consumers.

The project was the brainchild of Dr Hilmi Yıldırım, President of the Didim Chamber of Agriculture, President of the Zeytindostu Association, and the current President of Re.Co.Med – the Mediterranean Network of Olive Oil Cities. He is a dentist by profession and has dedicated many years to supporting farmers, promoting high-quality olive oil, developing olive oil culture, and strengthening cooperation among olive-producing cities across the Mediterranean. Together with the organizing committee, public institutions, educational organizations, volunteers, farmers, students, teachers and the people of Didim, Dr Yıldırım led the attempt as part of the 8th International Didim Olive Festival.

The record brought together thousands of participants at four different locations in Didim: the Temple of Apollo, Didim Town Square, Altınkum Seafront and Akbük Harbor Square. One of the most important achievements was introducing people, particularly children and young people, to the correct way of tasting olive oil. Participants had the opportunity to taste three different olive oil samples and learn more about quality, sensory characteristics and the importance of olive oil in a healthy diet.

The event also increased national and international awareness of Didim, Aydın and Türkiye as important centers of olive and olive oil culture.

Shortly after receiving the official Guinness World Records certificate, Dr Yıldırım spoke to GWR Adjudicator Seyda Subasi-Gemiciabout his passion for olive oil:

Achieving a Guinness World Records title is a source of great pride, not only for me but also for Didim, Aydın and Türkiye.

This title belongs to everyone who participated, volunteered and contributed to the organization. It is an international recognition of our olive oil culture, our producers’ hard work and our community’s ability to unite around a shared vision.

For us, this achievement is not an ending. It's the beginning of a stronger commitment to promoting high-quality olive oil, educating consumers and protecting the ancient olive heritage of the Mediterranean.

Our main objective was to promote olive oil culture and increase public awareness of high-quality olive oil.

We wanted people not only to consume olive oil but also to understand its sensory characteristics, recognize its quality and appreciate the work behind its production. We particularly wanted children and young people to experience olive oil tasting and become more aware of this valuable part of their cultural heritage.

We also aimed to bring international recognition to Didim and to demonstrate that olive oil can unite people from different backgrounds around health, agriculture, history and culture.

We are most proud of seeing thousands of people come together with enthusiasm, confidence and a strong sense of belonging.

We are especially proud of the participation of our students, teachers, farmers and volunteers. Watching different generations share the same experience and celebrate our olive oil heritage together was deeply meaningful.

Most importantly, this achievement was not accomplished by one person or one institution. It was achieved through cooperation, solidarity and collective effort. This record truly belongs to the people.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the public institutions, local authorities, educational organizations, universities, civil society organizations, farmers, producers, sponsors, volunteers, teachers, students and citizens who contributed to this historic achievement.

We would also like to thank Guinness World Records and its representatives for guiding us through the process and officially recognizing our collective effort.

We proudly dedicate this achievement to the olive farmers of Türkiye and the Mediterranean, who protect this ancient heritage and work tirelessly to pass it on to future generations.