Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer, which remained idle for years and İZDOGA A.Ş. visited Şasal Water Factory, which was renovated and put into operation by Stating that the water will be on the market in July, Mayor Soyer said, “This summer, the people of İzmir will quench their thirst with the ice-cold Şasal”.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerİZDOĞA A.Ş. He visited the facility after it was taken out of idle state and renovated by the company. Minister Tunç SoyerMenderes Mayor Erkan Özkan, İZSU General Manager Ali Hıdır Köseoğlu, İZDOĞA A.Ş. Güven Eken, Chairman of the Board of Directors, İZDOĞA A.Ş. General Manager Özkan Baturu, neighborhood headmen, employees and citizens accompanied him. IZDOGA A.S. Güven Eken, Chairman of the Board of Directors, informed President Soyer about the history and production planning of the factory.
“We all drank blood”
President Soyer, who examined the units of the facility on site and visited the water source, said, “We are very excited. I am 64 years old. From the age of 7-8, Şasal meant water for us. We all drank Sasal to blood. It can really be one of the most delicious and beautiful waters in the world. Although the chalky spring was standing, it had not been actively working for decades. Finally, we are bringing Şasal together with the people of İzmir again.”
“Actually a 100-year-old project”
Stating that the project is actually 100 years old, Mayor Soyer said, “The first step was taken during the time of the late Governor Kazım Dirik, in fact, the first bottling was done through a cooperative in 1932 and the shipment to İzmir started. Then it is interrupted for quite some time. This facility will be completed for approximately 120-130 million liras. And it will be put on the market after being filled in both glass and plastic bottles. We will be launching around mid-July. Now our machines have arrived, we are in a position to start production. We will offer approximately 3 and a half million liters of Şasal water to the people of İzmir per month,” he said.
“It is a very proud thing to present to the people of Izmir again”
Drawing attention to the importance of Şasal water for the people of İzmir, Mayor Soyer said, “I know that the people of İzmir are very happy when they say Şasal. That's why we are so excited and proud today. It is a very proud thing to bring the Şasal brand and its name to the people of İzmir again and to present Şasal water, one of the most delicious water sources in the world, to the people of İzmir again.”
It will create employment
Emphasizing that the factory also has a commercial side, Mayor Soyer said, “The facility will also save our municipality money, but what is more valuable than that is to bring the old healthy taste to the people of Izmir. I am proud of my colleagues. This summer, the people of Izmir will quench their thirst with the ice-cold Şasal. If it is a single shift, we will employ 55 friends, and if it is 3 shifts, we will employ 105 of our friends.
All waters began to be called "sasal"
The opening of Şasal water to İzmir's use was realized in 1926 as the project of the then governor Kazım Dirik. It was moved to the city with carboys since 1932 by the Officers Cooperative. In 1945, the right to sell Şasal water in sealed carboys and bottles was transferred to İzmir Child Protection Agency. Spring Water and Bottling Facility license was obtained by İzmir Special Provincial Administration on 12 September 1983 for the spring water within the medium range protection area of Tahtalı Dam Basin within the borders of Şasal Village of Menderes district. The spring water was sold in glass bottles by the İzmir Special Provincial Administration. Over time, an identification emerged between this product and the brand, and all water sold in bottles by Izmir residents began to be called "Sasal".
leased to operate for 25 years
The water produced in the facility, which was leased by the Pınar brand in 1984, took its place in the Turkish market as natural spring water. The brand ended production on November 8, 2002 at the Sasal source. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality İZSU General Directorate, which requested the authority to operate the resources within its borders from the Special Administration with the Metropolitan Municipality Law in March 2011, filed a lawsuit at the İzmir 1st Administrative Court for seven spring waters, including Şasal, throughout the city and Şasal. acquired the operating rights of the water. With the decision of İZSU General Assembly in September 2022, Menderes Şasal Spring Water and Bottling Plant was leased to İZDOĞA, one of the affiliates of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, to be operated for 25 years. After the Spring Water and Bottling Facility, which was idle for a long time, was leased by IZDOGA, renovation works were carried out and this facility, which meets the city's need for healthy drinking water, was reopened.