Rize

Rize exists because rain exists. This is Turkey's wettest corner: the Pontic Mountains trap Black Sea moisture, creating conditions that support tea cultivation nowhere else in the country. When the Ottoman Empire lost Yemen Vilayet after World War I, coffee became expensive and scarce. The Republic needed an alternative; in 1937, twenty tons of tea seeds from Georgia's Batumi arrived in Rize. The experiment worked. Towns renamed themselves: Mapavri became Çayeli (tea town); Kadahor became Çaykara (tea stream).

The transformation was complete by 1965: domestic production met domestic consumption. Over 200,000 families now cultivate tea on steep hillsides that suit nothing else as profitably—picking leaves that processing factories convert into the mahogany-colored çay that Turks consume at 3.16 kg per person annually, the highest rate worldwide. The 145% import tariff protects domestic growers from cheaper competition; 95% of Turkish tea stays in Turkey.

The Fırtına Valley (Storm Valley) behind Rize leads to the Kaçkar Mountains, where Byzantine bridges span glacial streams and Çamlıhemşin serves as trekking base. Ayder's hot springs attract domestic tourists seeking mountain retreat combined with thermal therapy. The Hemşin people maintain distinct cultural traditions—their own dialect, their own pastries—in valleys that isolation preserved.

By 2026, Rize faces climate pressure: production fell from 1.45 million tonnes (2019) to just over 500,000 tonnes (2023) as high temperatures and irregular rainfall disrupted the moisture regime tea requires. Whether adaptation preserves the industry that rebuilt this province's economy, or whether Rize must find alternatives to the crop that defines it, is the existential question.