Launched with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Aleppo Soap Project provided training in traditional Aleppo soap production to a total of 70 Turkish and Syrian refugee women under temporary protection between 2018 and 2019.
Due to local dietary habits centered on red meat consumption, olive groves in Derik—home to some of the world’s finest edible olive oil—were increasingly being cut down and converted for conventional agriculture or construction. Over time, the revival of traditional Aleppo soap production, which consists of up to 93% olive oil, helped restore demand for Derik olive groves, particularly during the pandemic period.
Developed under the umbrella of the Topraktan Tabağa Agricultural Development Cooperative, the project enabled trained women to produce 20,000 bars of Aleppo soap using traditional methods. These soaps required a natural curing process, which took approximately one year under ideal conditions.
During the pandemic, as tourism came to a halt and local income sources became limited, the soaps were branded as Şemim Aleppo Soap and offered for sale through online channels to create a new source of income. The initial 20,000 bars sold out in a short period, generating income for women producers and creating capital for continued production.
As production expanded, the project fostered a self-sustaining ecosystem that supported olive farmers’ incomes, increased olive oil production capacity, and revitalized olive trees that had previously been neglected due to low regional demand. Today, Şemim Soaps, marketed under the Topraktan Tabağa Agricultural Development Cooperative, operate from a production facility with a daily capacity of one ton of liquid Arabic soap and 1.5 tons of bar soap. To meet growing demand, a higher-capacity workshop was established, and Derik olives and olive oil were also added to the cooperative’s product portfolio.