Nicea Brings First Olive Oil from Gemlik Olives to the U.S.

A single-varietal, PDO olive from Turkey produces estate-quality extra virgin olive oil at an affordable price

PASADENA, Calif., June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the Bursa province of Turkey, nestled around the pristine Lake Iznik of Iliad fame, the world's best-tasting olives grow. Gemlik olives, like champagne, have a protected designation of origin, or PDO, and have a rich, smooth, slightly smoky flavor that produces a truly exceptional olive oil. Floral, delicate, and delicious olive oil sourced from this extraordinary varietal has never been available in the United States—until now.

Today Nicea Olive Oil announces the launch of extra virgin olive oil made from 100% Gemlik olives. Three options: Everyday($15.89)Early Harvest ($20.89) and Private Reserve($23.89) are now available for purchase and nationwide shipping from NiceaOlives.com. 

"The seed for Nicea Olive Oil was planted by love," says Rashied Amini, CEO of Nicea. "From L.A., I would travel halfway around the world frequently to visit my now wife, Ayris, in her native Türkiye. I took so much time off work that I had to bring my team back something special so I shared some of the amazing olive oil Ayris's family made from Gemlik olives. My colleagues had never had anything like it, and I realized we had something remarkable on our hands."

Choosing Nicea, the Greek name for the Lake Iznik region, was an easy next choice for the new company. The challenge was to process estate-quality Gemlik olives at a large volume from villages across the Lake Iznik region. Thankfully, the Gemlik olive produces a higher amount of oil than other varieties. Rashied and Ayris approached a network of villages and olive-growing cooperatives to exclusively source these highest-quality olives and became the first to import Gemlik olive (PDO) olive oil to the U.S.

But Rashied and Ayris didn't stop there. Concerned by news reports of tainted, spoiled or counterfeit olive oil like so many Americans, they wanted Nicea Olive Oil to be unprecedentedly transparent. They decided to integrate lab testing and labeling for each of their olive oils. Each individual harvest is hand-picked, pressed and immediately sent to a local laboratory. Within a few days, Nicea receives a report and creates the label that details exactly what's inside that particular bottle: free fatty acid content, K270 UV absorptance, peroxide content, and polyphenol count.  In every way, Nicea Olive Oil shares exactly where it's coming from; each protective dark glass bottle features designs inspired by traditional Iznik tiles and made Nicea a Gold Series Winner in the L.A. International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition for packaging.

"Our bottles may be made of dark glass, but our aim is total transparency," adds Ayris Gucun Amini. "We want Americans to know exactly where their extra virgin olive oil comes from and rest assured that it's of exceptional quality at an affordable price."

To purchase Nicea Olive Oil, visit NiceaOlives.com.

About Nicea
Launched in June 2025 by husband and wife Rashied Amini and Ayris Gucun Amini in Pasadena, California, Nicea creates estate-quality extra virgin olive oil from a single varietal, the Gemlik olive. With a protected designation of origin (PDO) these olives are sourced exclusively from the Lake Iznik region of Turkey and produce an exquisitely delicate olive oil. Offering unprecedented transparency, each bottle of Nicea Olive Oil features detailed lab results on the label. Currently three affordable, high-quality extra virgin olive oils are available to purchase online and ship nationwide from NiceaOlives.com: Everyday, Early Harvest and Private Reserve. Follow Nicea on Instagram.

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SOURCE Nicea