Through our regular private English lessons in Istanbul with G., a young businesswoman running her family's olive oil label, I am learning a lot about olive cultivation and extra virgin olive oil production in Bursa and Izmir, Turkey. After two weeks of lessons, she can describe the process of growing, harvesting, and pressing olives for olive oil; describe the container, quality, and quantity options for the export of the product; answer questions about the brand label. This week we prepare for an upcoming product fair in Antalya by practicing asking and answering the possible questions of international clients interested in importing the olive oil. Applying English to practical scenarios such as business meetings,
presentations, and telephone calls always excites me and motivates the
student. Here are some of examples of our new vocabulary from our speaking and writing lessons in Istanbul:
Olive cultivation:
Olive cultivation:
- Cultivate olives.
- Pick up the bucket.
- Collect the olives.
- Water the fields from the well at the top of the hill so the water flows down the slopes.
- Sun, snow, and compost sustain the olive trees.
- The farmers carry out the work.
- The agency certifies the olives as organic.
- We have a certificate.
- We have organic certification.
- We want to certify the olives as organic.
- Pay attention to the criteria.
- Swing by the farm in Bursa sometime!
- Press the olives.
- Apply a lot of pressure onto the olives.
- Put all of the olives that taste bitter into the big pool with rock salt.
- Add water to absorb the salt.
- The taste becomes less bitter.
- Olive pulp sinks.
- Produce olive oil.
- Fill the bottles and tanks.
- Weigh the oil.
- Olive oil absorbs the surrounding smells.
- We are a small family farm with olive oil production facilities.
- We are an emerging brand and a rising producer of quality extra virgin olive oil in Turkey.
- We sell tanks so the customer can refill the bottle.
- We have several quantity options: 250, 500, and 1000 ml bottles.
- How much would you like to order?
- Do you prefer glass bottles or metal tanks?
- How about we exchange business cards and keep in touch?
- Would you like to visit our farm and production facilities sometime soon?
- Drizzle the olive oil.
- Flip the eggs.
- Squeeze the lemon.
- Steep the tea bag.
- Extra virgin olive oil goes with fresh bread.