Mehmet Filliz's Buffalo Products Reach All of Turkey

Mehmet Filliz, a 66‑year‑old farmer in the Karaoğlan neighbourhood of Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa, has continued his family's water‑buffalo (manda) breeding tradition for 50 years. His herd of more than 200 buffalo yields an average of 3.5 litres of milk per animal, which he processes into 100 % buffalo sausage, yogurt, butter, cheese and other dairy products.

Operating with a licence from Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Filliz ships the sausage by courier to every province, noting that no Turkish city is left without orders. He sells raw milk at 90 TRY per litre locally and 100 TRY in Bursa, produces about 40 kg of yogurt daily (roughly one tonne per month), and supplies butter and cheese on demand, even providing milk to ice‑cream makers in summer. Filliz and his wife handle distribution themselves, delivering orders to Bursa on Saturdays.

He stresses the labour‑intensive nature of buffalo farming, the need for water‑rich wetlands, and the declining interest of younger generations in the trade, while hoping to inspire more youth to continue the tradition.