Victor Ananias

Victor was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1971. He spent the first six years of his life in Germany with his father, a dentist from Chile, and his mother, a Turkish ceramic artist. His family then moved to Bodrum, a beautiful seaside town in Turkey- to grow organic foods, grind their own wheat with a traditional windmill, and live self-sustaining lives. At eighteen, Victor traveled to Chile and Europe working in vegetarian restaurants and spiritual centers. He also visited Findhorn Ecovillage and work in the bakery and/or kitchen during his stay.

When he returned home, rural Turkey had changed tremendously with the introduction of television, discos, and new housing developments. Victor wanted to sell brown rice, organic vegetables, and sea salt, but no one would give him retail space. Because he could provide English translation, he offered to help a local farmer sell products to English-speaking tourists in exchange for space to sell organic products. This was the first of a long series of consultations and strategic alliances with shop owners and farmers to promote healthy organic foods and local products.

1992 he opened “Bugday – meaning wheat Vegetarian Restaurant, the first all-organic health food store, restaurant, and environmental and cultural center of its kind in Turkey. He also started to prepare a newsletter about wholesome living then later became a magazine. In this bimonthly publication, distributed nationally, that contains articles about local products, organic and sustainable farming techniques, ecovillages, GEN-E bulletins, environmental issues, vegetarian and vegan recipes, Eastern meditation and spiritual practices, and a range of related topics.

As the number of the projects and the number of volunteers increased, he moved to Istanbul with his family. He established an NGO called the Bugday Association for Supporting Ecological Living. He initiated the first open organic farmer’s markets in Istanbul few years ago and then they became popular and started to grow in different cities as well. He had many awards including ASHOKA-change makers. He was a father of 11-year old son and a dedicated vegan since his birth. He was buried in Bodrum where he was grown up.

It is his passion, integrity, and vision that has changed how thousands of people think about the ecological agriculture movement and organic markets in Turkey. We celebrate his life with respect and admiration.