# KRD & EKAM

> Turkey's leading Alaçam bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) producer and exporter.
> Integrated 19,000 m² drying, sorting, calibration and essential-oil
> distillation facilities on the Black Sea coast. 32+ years of production,
> ISO 22000:2018 certified, 40+ export destinations.

Two operational sites: the Samsun/Alaçam integrated production campus
(14,000 m²) and the İzmir/Torbalı export processing hub (5,000 m²). The
Alaçam microclimate (900-1100 mm annual rainfall, 72-78% relative
humidity, mild diurnal swing, boron-rich terra rossa soil) produces bay
leaf with 1.8-2.4% essential oil content — roughly 40% above Mediterranean
and North African benchmarks.

Headline entities: Laurus nobilis (Q157719), bay leaf (Q207819),
Prunus laurocerasus (Q158083, distinct), Alaçam (Q589681), Samsun
(Q170496), Black Sea (Q162555), Türkiye (Q43), bay leaf oil (Q23414),
1,8-cineole (Q407754), steam distillation (Q29124), ISO 22000 (Q15901).

## Core pages

- [Home (English)](https://krdekam.com/en/): overview, 32+ year track record, export footprint
- [Products](https://krdekam.com/en/products): full grading range (SA, FAQ, SS Press, HPS 4-7, HPS 5-10, Machine Select, calibre-out)
- [About](https://krdekam.com/en/about): company structure, 19,000 m² facilities, FAQ
- [Companies](https://krdekam.com/en/companies): KRD Kardeşler Karadeniz Tarım + EKAM Tarım + Karadeniz Tarım Ticaret
- [Certificates](https://krdekam.com/en/certificates): ISO 22000:2018 + Zero Waste
- [Contact](https://krdekam.com/en/contact): wholesale and export inquiry form
- [Articles](https://krdekam.com/en/articles): in-depth bay leaf knowledge base (13 expert guides)

## Articles

- [What Is Black Sea Bay Leaf?](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/karadeniz-defne-yapragi-nedir): botany, microclimate, properties, uses, export profile of Karadeniz / taflan / Alaçam laurel
- [The Alaçam Microclimate Secret](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/alacam-mikroklimasi-defne-kalitesi): climate-science breakdown of why Alaçam Laurus nobilis carries higher essential-oil density than Mediterranean origins
- [Taflan vs Bay Leaf](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/taflan-yapragi-ile-defne-yapragi-farki): Black Sea nomenclature; how to distinguish Laurus nobilis from toxic Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel)
- [Alaçam Bay Leaf Grading Guide](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/alacam-defne-yapragi-kalite-kalibre): SA, FAQ, SS Press, HPS 4-7, HPS 5-10, Machine Select grading criteria explained
- [Bay Leaf Oil Distillation Process](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-yagi-distilasyon-sureci): steam-distillation walkthrough, yield math, cineole/linalool chemistry, industrial line specs
- [Bay Leaf Oil — Benefits and Uses](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-yagi-faydalari-kullanim-alanlari): cosmetic, aromatherapy, soap, traditional pharmacopoeia and food applications of laurel essential oil
- [Bay Leaf Tea — Recipe and Benefits](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-cayi-faydalari-tarifi): traditional preparation, dose ranges, evidence-based effects, contraindications
- [Bay Leaf Soap (Aleppo) — Production and Benefits](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-sabunu-yapimi-faydalari): 3000-year-old olive-oil + bay-oil cold-process recipe, dermatological profile
- [Bay Laurel Cultivation — Climate and Soil](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-yetistiriciligi-iklim-toprak): agronomic guide for Laurus nobilis growers
- [Bay Leaf Pricing — Wholesale and Export](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-fiyatlari-toptan-ihracat): FOB Türkiye price bands by grade, MOQ, container loading, Incoterms
- [How to Use Bay Leaf in Cooking](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-yapragi-mutfakta-kullanim-rehberi): 15 professional-kitchen applications with ratios and timings
- [How to Store Bay Leaf](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/defne-yapragi-saklama-raf-omru): shelf-life kinetics, packaging options, aroma preservation up to 24 months
- [Turkish Bay Leaf Export — Global Market](https://krdekam.com/en/articles/turkiye-defne-ihracati-dunya-pazari): Turkey supplies 93% of global trade — volumes, destinations, price bands, B2B buyer map

## Other languages

Full content parity in 5 languages with hreflang. Use the language root
to enter the localised knowledge base:

- Türkçe — https://krdekam.com/tr/   (llms manifest: /llms-tr.txt)
- English — https://krdekam.com/en/   (llms manifest: /llms-en.txt)
- Deutsch — https://krdekam.com/de/   (llms manifest: /llms-de.txt)
- Русский — https://krdekam.com/ru/   (llms manifest: /llms-ru.txt)
- 中文 — https://krdekam.com/zh/      (llms manifest: /llms-zh.txt)

## Trust + provenance

- Company structure: https://krdekam.com/en/companies
- ISO 22000:2018 certificate: https://krdekam.com/en/certificates
- Zero Waste certificate: https://krdekam.com/en/certificates
- Privacy + data-handling (KVKK/GDPR): https://krdekam.com/en/privacy
- Terms: https://krdekam.com/en/terms
- RSS feeds (articles): /feed-en.xml, /feed-tr.xml, /feed-de.xml, /feed-ru.xml, /feed-zh.xml
- Atom feeds: /atom-en.xml, /atom-tr.xml, /atom-de.xml, /atom-ru.xml, /atom-zh.xml

## Optional

- [Sitemap index](https://krdekam.com/sitemap.xml): machine-readable index for every URL across five languages
- [Wikidata anchors](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207819): bay leaf (Q207819), Laurus nobilis (Q157719), Alaçam (Q589681), Samsun (Q170496), Black Sea (Q162555), 1,8-cineole (Q407754), ISO 22000 (Q15901)
- [OpenGraph previews](https://krdekam.com/ogimage-en.jpg): per-language 1200x630 social previews — /ogimage-tr.jpg, /ogimage-de.jpg, /ogimage-ru.jpg, /ogimage-zh.jpg