She is a life-time  learner who worked as a teacher in different parts of Turkey and taught language teaching  techniques at university level till her retirement in 1979, then, traveled all through Turkey working as a professional tour guide until 1990. Her research in traditional handicraft production continued all along her life and still does. She expresses this as, ‘ My  love for handicrafts and  respect for village   women producing handicrafts urged me  to settle in a village where grassroots women still have the skill and love for  making handicrafts.  I had seen  the gap in the market of  handcrafted giftware  and wanted to use this knowledge for the empowerment of women. After numerous  attempts   I  decided on a  band-system model  to produce handicrafts for today’s market. This I hoped would  keep  the innovative agent in the producer  alive  and thus the folk artifact would carry its dynamism and nation’s cultural heritage.’ Now in her 70s, she still has the burning energy for producing functional and traditional goods with the help of her townspeople. Her house   is a meeting, working and a social gathering spot for women and study for kids who get to use the library, computer and other edutainment activities  such as chess, yoga and  creative drama. The Albeni brand products you see on this site have been produced in Mine's workshop with shared knowledge  of  the crafts of different areas of Turkey and taste of her neighbors . We hope you'll enjoy the artifacts presented by Camlik Village women.