--- title: "My Volunteer Work" url: https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/my-volunteer-work/ canonical: https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/my-volunteer-work/ description: "Volunteer support for Anatolian cheese producers: with the Çiçeklerin Özü Women's Cooperative we revived Hakkari's shirden rennet and underground-ripened cheese." language: en author: Nurper Özcan (Gıda Mühendisi & Süt ve Süt Ürünleri Eksperi) date_modified: 2026-10-16T22:23:03+00:00 --- # My Volunteer Work [Services](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/services/) Services # My Volunteer Work Along with producing cheese, tasting experiences and festivals are part of this precious culture. At the festivals I visited, I had the opportunity to meet many traditional producers of local cheese in Anatolia and taste their products. I gave them voluntary support regarding the scientific content of their cheeses. Afterwards, there were many producers whose products I produced together, and I was with them until product labeling and packaging. One of them is the geographically marked ‘Divle Obruk Cheese’, which is among the top five cheeses in the world. Another producer I voluntarily support is the ‘Çiçeklerin Özü (Essence of Flowers) Women’s Cooperative’. With the women’s cooperative, we revived the forgotten [shirden cheese rennet](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/what-is-shirden-cheese-leaven-how-is-it-produced-and-used/) in Hakkari. We conducted scientific studies of this ancient rennet, which we created and recorded the standard recipe with women in the magnificent mountains of Hakkari, and applied for a geographical indication registration certificate. With the rennet, which gained added value with label, packaging and nutritional value analyzes, we produced the region’s underground-ripened cheese (toprak altı peyniri) again. The women’s cooperative sells shirden cheese rennet and underground-ripened cheese, both contributing to the region and strengthening economically. #### Other services [Dairy Farm Setup→](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/dairy-farm-setup/) [Haccp→](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/haccp-2/) [Workshop→](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/workshop/) #### Pre-interview meeting A short free meeting to discuss your upcoming projects and answer a few questions. [Contact](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/contact/) ## From the field 41 photos · click to enlarge Pre-interview meeting ## Let’s talk about your project. A short free meeting to discuss your upcoming projects and answer a few questions. [Contact](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/contact/) [Services →](https://www.nurperozcan.com.tr/en/services/) ׋›