The Labor Exhibition 

Karacadağ's Red Labor: Sun-Dried Tomatoes
At the foot of an extinct volcano, white sheets stretch as far as the eye can see... Hundreds of crates of tomatoes spread out on them, slowly drying under the scorching sun, waiting to be shipped to all corners of the world. Grown in the fertile soil of Karacadağ, these tomatoes reach from Europe to America, even to Italian kitchens.

Karacadağ tomatoes, grown on approximately 50,000 acres, are harvested from the fields with the first light of dawn. Before the sun rises, seasonal agricultural workers wake up to the sound of the “sergeant's” whistle. The day's pace begins with that whistle.

Women, men, young, old, even children... They head to the exhibition area without even having breakfast. The tomatoes, carried in crates, are divided in two here and carefully spread out on white sheets. As the tomatoes release their juice under the sun, the workers sweat.

Each worker is paid according to the number of crates of tomatoes they cut and spread throughout the day. The supervisor, called the “foreman,” keeps track of how much each person has worked. Around noon, another whistle is heard; this time it's break time. After three hours of intense work, the workers hurry to the tent area. 

At the end of the day, faces are tired but hopeful... However, most complain that they cannot earn as much as they used to:

“What we used to earn was enough for us. No matter how hard you work now, it's not enough. You have nothing left, and you can't support your family,” say the workers.

Every tomato drying under the scorching sun of Karacadağ carries the labor and patience of these lands. Every flavor that meets the world's cuisine actually contains a piece of the silent story of seasonal agricultural workers.