Laurel: a pure, wild herb with a traditional story

When you add bay leaves to your soup or stew, do you ever think about the journey this herb has made? At Verstegen, we do. Because behind every bay leaf lies a story of craftsmanship, tradition, and future. At our supplier in Turkey, bay doesn't grow on plantations, but wild in the mountains along the entire coastline.

Wild growth managed with care

Laurel trees grow for three to four years before they can be harvested. They are scattered throughout the mountainous areas managed by the Turkish Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture. Each year, the Ministry determines which areas are permitted for harvesting, allowing nature to recover.

During harvest season, farmers and villagers travel into the mountains to harvest not individual leaves, but entire branches, each 2 to 3 meters long, by hand or with a small chainsaw. The steep paths make machinery impossible, so the branches are still transported by donkey to collection points. There, they are weighed and administratively recorded, so the exact village or region from which the laurel originates is known.

Craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation

For many villages, laurel provides an important source of income alongside the timber industry. The harvest is carried out by established village communities, which are responsible for the surrounding forest area. Precisely because these are privately owned village lands, there are no seasonal workers involved, as can be the case with other herbs and spices. This significantly reduces the risk of child labor: villages have stable schools, and children continue to attend school.

However, there is a growing problem: the aging population. Young people prefer to move to the city rather than work in the forests. Therefore, cooperatives and suppliers are actively seeking ways to make the work attractive to new generations and preserve traditional craftsmanship.

Drying and manual sorting for the best laurel

After harvesting, fresh bay leaves are machine-dried within 48 hours. Whole branches can be stored for one to two weeks before being dried. In southern Turkey, 5 to 10% of the harvest is traditionally sun-dried.

After drying, the sorting process begins. The highest quality is called Handpick Select (HPS): leaves are hand-picked from the branch. Only about 20% of a branch meets this standard. The rest is mechanically "picked" (by shaking) or further processed into chopped or ground bay leaves.

Because leaves vary in size and structure by region, they are not mixed with each other. This makes the HPS quality particularly easy to trace.

So every time you add a bay leaf to your dish, you're using a leaf that has endured years of sun, rain, snow, and insects in a wild forest. A pure natural product, carefully harvested by village communities that have been connected to these forests for generations. This makes bay leaf not only a flavorful herb but also a unique one. And you can taste it in every dish!