Hamdi Ulukaya
Hamdi Ulukaya | |
---|---|
Born | [1] İliç, Turkey | 26 October 1972
Alma mater | University at Albany Ankara University |
Occupation | Founder & CEO of Chobani |
Spouse(s) | Ayse Giray (m. 1997–1999)[2] Louise Vongerichten (m. 2018) |
Children | 2[3][4][5] |
Hamdi Ulukaya (born 26 October 1972) is a Turkish-Kurdish entrepreneur and philanthropist based in the United States.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Ulukaya is the owner, founder, chairman, and CEO of Chobani, the #1-selling strained yogurt (Greek-style) brand in the US. He established production facilities first in upstate New York, and since then has expanded. According to Forbes, his net worth as of June 2019 is US$2.0 billion.[6] On April 26, 2016, Ulukaya announced to his employees that he would be giving them 10% of the shares in Chobani.[14]
Born to a dairy-farming[15][16][17] family in 1972 in Erzincan, a small village in Turkey, Ulukaya immigrated as a young man to the U.S. in 1994 to study English and to take a few business courses. In an interview with CNN Money, Ulukaya said that he was very serious about Kurdish rights and left Turkey due to the Turkish state's oppression of its Kurdish minority group.[18] In 2002, he started a modest feta-cheese factory on the advice of his father.
His larger success came from taking a major risk: Ulukaya purchased a large, defunct yogurt factory in upstate New York in 2005, in a region that had been the center of a dairy and cheese industry since the mid-nineteenth century. With no prior experience in the yogurt business, he has created a yogurt empire, Chobani, with facilities in several states. It achieved over $1 billion in annual sales in less than five years after launch, becoming the leading yogurt brand in the U.S. by 2011.[19][20][21] The popularity of his Greek-style yogurt was associated with rising interest in the protein-rich, low-fat style yogurt; Greek yogurt's market share in the U.S. rose from less than 1% in 2007 to more than 50% in 2013.[19] Ernst & Young named Ulukaya as the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2013,[22] and Inc. magazine named him one of the most important entrepreneurs of the past decade in 2019.[23] The success of his yogurt empire has made Ulukaya a billionaire; he has developed new employment centers in several regions, adding to the economy of relatively rural areas.
Early life, education, and early career
Hamdi Ulukaya was born in 1972 to a Kurdish family in Turkey.[24] His family owned and operated a sheep, goat, and dairy farm near the Euphrates River in İliç, Erzincan Province, where they made cheese and yogurt.[25][26][27] The family often led a seasonally semi-nomadic existence tending and herding their flocks. Ulukaya is uncertain of his exact birth date because he was born during one of the family's mountain treks, although he uses October 26 as his birthday.[27]
After studying political science at Ankara University, in 1994 Ulukaya moved to the United States to study English at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York.[28] In 1997 he moved upstate and transferred to the University at Albany, State University of New York where he enrolled in a few business courses.[28][29]
He ended up taking a job on an upstate farm. During a visit, his father persuaded Ulukaya to import the family's feta cheese from Turkey, after tasting the inferior cheese available locally. When the imported cheese proved popular, Ulukaya opened a small wholesale feta cheese plant of his own, called Euphrates, in Johnstown, New York in 2002.[27][29][30] The venture was modestly successful but by the two-year mark it had just barely broken even.[31] Ulukaya later recalled, "It was two years of the most challenging days of my life."[29]
Chobani
Inception and development
In the spring of 2005, Ulukaya noticed a piece of junk mail advertising a fully equipped yogurt factory for sale in South Edmeston, New York, 65 miles (105 km) west of his feta cheese factory.[31] The 84-year-old factory had been closed by Kraft Foods.[31][32] Although he initially threw the flier away,[32] Ulukaya toured the plant the following day and decided to buy it, against the advice of his attorney and business advisor.[30] Ulukaya financed the purchase within five months with a loan from the Small Business Administration, plus local business-incentive grants.[27][30][33] He initially named his new company Agro Farma, and hired a handful of the former Kraft employees.[29][33] As a first task they painted and repaired the neglected factory.
Ulukaya decided to make an alternative to American-style yogurt, which he believed was too sugary, watery, and artificial. He preferred the thick, strained yogurt , which he grew up with in Turkey.[31] His aim was to create a high-quality, tasty, natural, and affordable strained yogurt for the U.S. market.[promotion?] He brought over a yogurt master from Turkey, Mustafa Dogan, with whom he spent nearly two years developing and perfecting his own yogurt recipe.[30] Using different bacterial cultures at differing temperatures and fermentation durations, they tested hundreds of recipes to come up with a yogurt with the desired taste, texture, and natural shelf life.[32]
Strained, is much thicker, creamier, and tangier, with a higher protein content, as the whey is strained out.[34] To manufacture strained yogurt, Ulukaya needed a million-dollar commercial machine called a milk separator, which the American-style Kraft factory did not have. He found a used one in Wisconsin and negotiated to buy it for $50,000. On his trip to pick up the separator, the name "Chobani" – a variation on çoban, the Turkish word for shepherd – popped into his head.[27][32]
Ulukaya made Chobani yogurt without preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, or gelatin, and used only milk from cows not treated with growth hormones.[27][30][35][promotion?] Since he could not afford advertising, he invested time and money on the product's packaging, using a distinctive new bowl-style shape to differentiate the brand,[30][31] and ensuring its design and bright coloring stood out from other yogurts.[32] The first line-up of Chobani flavors included plain, vanilla, strawberry, peach, and blueberry.[27]
Launch
Ulukaya wanted Chobani to be affordable to the average consumer. Rather than marketing to small specialty stores, he aimed the yogurt at the regular dairy sections of mainstream grocery stores and national chains, thus aiding the product's rapid growth and adoption by consumers.[29][31][36]
In October 2007, he shipped his first order of Chobani, a few hundred cases, to a grocer on Long Island. The store repeated the order the following week.[25][32]
Ulukaya's early business approach included strategies the larger companies did not use. Rather than pay stores a slotting fee, which his start-up company could not afford, he paid stores in yogurt rather than in cash to stock his wares. He also negotiated to pay off the slotting fees over time as the yogurt sold.[31][37] He also implemented in-store samples so customers could taste the product and purchase it immediately.[38] Lacking the budget for traditional marketing, after hearing customers phoning in to say that they loved Chobani, Ulukaya had his small team reach out to bloggers, Facebook, and Twitter to have constant and direct communication with consumers.[39] In 2010 he also created a sampling truck, the CHOmobile, which handed out free cups of Chobani yogurt at festivals, parades, and other family-friendly events all over the U.S.[33][40][41] In its first year, the sample truck gave away 150,000 full-size containers of Chobani.[39]
In 2009, the chain stores Stop & Shop and ShopRite began carrying Chobani,[42] and by the middle of 2009, Chobani was selling 200,000 cases a week.[32] Later that same year, a major breakthrough came when the warehouse club stores BJ's Wholesale Club and Costco began carrying the brand.[29][36]
Expansion
After BJ's and Costco began carrying Chobani in 2009, the company doubled its sales every year through 2013.[43] With an eye on Australian and Asian markets, in 2011 Ulukaya acquired Melbourne dairy producer Bead Foods, and began manufacturing and selling Chobani in Australia.[39][44] In mid 2012, he initiated an $88.5 million expansion for the company, acquiring 100 acres next to its upstate New York facility and building an 80,000-square-foot addition. The expansion was partially funded by $1.5 million in New York State grants for economic development.[45][46]
Since strained or Greek yogurt uses three times the amount of milk per cup that unstrained yogurt does, to keep up with Chobani's ever-increasing market, and demands for higher and higher quantities of milk, in December 2012 the company opened the world's largest yogurt factory in Twin Falls, Idaho, a $450 million investment.[47] In 2012 Chobani had more than $1 billion in annual sales,[48][49] and in 2012 it became the world's leading yogurt brand.[19] Ulukaya joined the world's billionaires in the early 2010s.[6]
Ulukaya began adding new product lines to his brand in 2010, beginning with Chobani Champions, a Greek yogurt designed for children. In 2013 he added the Chobani Bite, a small-size yogurt with flavors including chocolate; Chobani Flip, yogurt with a separate section of toppings; and Chobani Simply 100, marketed as the first and only 100-calorie Greek yogurt made with only natural ingredients.[50] In 2014 he launched Chobani Oats, a blend of Greek yogurt, steel-cut oats and fruit; Seasonal varieties, including watermelon and pink grapefruit; Chobani Indulgent, a healthy dessert yogurt; and a 4%-fat plain Greek yogurt marketed as particularly good for cooking and baking.[51]
In 2012, he opened Chobani SoHo, a retail yogurt cafe in Manhattan's trendy SoHo district.[27] The cafe offers various exotic and gourmet dishes using flavors of fresh Chobani yogurt and gourmet toppings, as well as sandwiches, soups, and coffee.[52][53][54]
That same year, Hamdi Ulukaya's Turkish ex-wife Dr. Ayse Giray sued him for a 53 percent stake in the company claiming her family lent him $500,000 for the business. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount.[55] Other claims that emerged from the divorce proceedings included her accusations that Hamdi stole the recipe for his yogurts. These accusations were proven unfounded and dropped.[56]
Following the success of its product in Australia, in 2014 Chobani expanded its distribution to Asia and Latin America, beginning with Singapore, Malaysia, and Panama. The company announced plans for the Caribbean as well.[57] In April 2014, Chobani reached a deal with private-equity firm TPG for a $750-million investment, which funded the company's expansion and the launch of a new line of products.[58]
In March 2016, Chobani announced that it will be incrementally investing almost $100 million into the Greek yogurt plants it has in Twin Falls, Idaho.[59] In 2015 the Twin Falls plant employed more than 1,000 people, almost 100 of whom were hired in the last half of 2015. Chobani planned to add a global research and development facility for the Twin Falls scientific team, plus office expansions and an employee cafeteria. In the summer of 2016, they planned to start production of a yogurt-based dip and drinkable yogurt in the Twin Falls factory.[60]
A New York Times article in March 2017 highlighted Ulukaya's efforts to work with Idaho colleges to offer technical training for workers to solve the area's labor shortage. The Chobani yogurt plant in Twin Falls is the largest in the world and pays its workers in the area on average twice minimum wage.[61]
In the fall of 2017, Chobani announced a brand evolution that featured new packaging and positioned the company as a “food-focused wellness company.”[62]
In 2017, Chobani started offering six weeks of paid leave to new parents as a result of Ulukaya's own experience when his son was born in 2015. The policy ensures that Chobani employees have the needed time to bond with their newborns, and it covers adoption, foster care and same-sex couples as well.[63]
In the spring of 2018, Ulukaya appeared on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show[64] and Good Morning America[65] to announce that the company was celebrating its 10th anniversary as a national brand by giving a Chobani yogurt to every person in America.
In June 2019, Ulukaya launched Milk Matters, a program to support the future of dairy farming in America. Part of the program includes a new collaboration with Fair Trade USA to explore developing the first standard and certification program of the dairy industry.[66]
In November 2019, Ulukaya announced Chobani's biggest expansion to date with new oat-based products and natural dairy creamers, marking the company's first foray outside of the yogurt aisle.[67]
La Colombe Coffee Roasters
In mid-2015 Ulukaya became the majority investor in La Colombe Coffee Roasters, a brand of coffee competing in the relatively new high-end coffee market. After opening Chobani SoHo Café, he tried dozens of coffees before he decided on La Colombe Coffee Roasters for his café. Ulukaya said that he will not have any management role at La Colombe, nor participate in the board.[68]
Business philosophy
Ulukaya has stated that higher wages for employees leads to greater corporate success. Not only does he promote the position that companies can succeed when they pay their workers more, they also have a moral obligation to do so, stating that, "…for the sake of our communities and our people, we need to give other companies the ability to create a better life for more people."[69]
In an interview with Ernst and Young Global chairman & CEO Mark A. Weinberger, Ulukaya said that businessmen should promote a sense of purpose in their corporate culture to create a climate of positive change in business and the world. He stated that companies should focus on humanity and not just on their bottom lines. "Business is still the strongest, most effective way to change the world," Ulukaya told Weinberger.[70]
In a forum hosted by the Wall Street Journal, Ulukaya joined other key business leaders in a discussion on "Misconceptions People Have About US Manufacturing." He stated that "Manufacturing can rebuild the modern American economy."[71]
When Ulukaya opened his second yogurt manufacturing plant in Twin Falls, Idaho, he put his beliefs into practice. He created a job training program together with the College of Southern Idaho and the Chobani Foundation (formerly known as Shepherd's Gift Foundation.) He has also worked to improve the community in Twin Falls by supporting the Southern Idaho Children's Learning Center, Twin Falls Rapids Soccer Club, and other community programs.[72]
In March 2017, Ulukaya was featured on the cover of Fast Company magazine. The cover story was titled "How Chobani's Hamdi Ulukaya Is Winning America's Culture War."[73] Later that spring, Ulukaya was featured by CBSNews' 60 Minutes on April 9, 2017 in a segment called "Chief of Chobani" that focused on his approach to business and philanthropy.[74]
In January 2018, Ulukaya accepted Chobani's Salute to Greatness Award by The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[75]
In April 2019, Ulukaya gave a TED Talk on the TED conference main stage in Vancouver, entitled "The anti-CEO playbook." He proposed a new “anti-CEO playbook” that prioritizes people over profits, saying that “This is the difference between profit and true wealth.” [76]
Philanthropy
In 2014 Ulukaya pledged to donate $2 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He has also donated to many Muslim charities associated with Iraq and Syria and has explored philanthropic avenues for helping refugees around the world. He signed up for the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge.[77]
In May 2015 Ulukaya announced that he will donate a majority of his wealth to help refugees around the world.[78] The donation will be made under the auspices of The Giving Pledge, started by philanthropists Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. The Giving Pledge encourages billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.[77]
Ulukaya visited the Greek island of Lesbos in September 2015 to see first-hand the situation of the mostly Syrian refugees there.[79] In 2015 he launched the Tent Foundation to help refugees.[80] Ulukaya said that he would like to see more companies and entrepreneurs engaged in helping refugees by providing more innovative solutions to solving the crisis, using their expertise to help refugees, and asking companies to hire refugees. At Chobani's plants in Upstate New York and Idaho, Ulukaya has long hired refugees from around the world from regions across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.[79]
In 2015, Ulukaya attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and launched several new initiatives to help refugees while also encouraging world and business leaders to do more.[81][82]
On September 29, 2015 Ulukaya spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. He urged business people to do more than "just write checks" to help alleviate the suffering of the displaced.[83]
In October, 2015, Ulukaya was honored with a humanitarian award by the American Turkish Society (ATS) for his personal work in helping to relieve the suffering of Syrian refugees.[84][85] He was given the award both for his donation of $2 million for refugees who fled their country as a result of violence, and for signing the Giving Pledge Act to donate the majority of his fortune to contribute to resolving the global refugee crisis.[86]
In November 2015, Ulukaya was honored by the Children's Aid Society with their Corporate Leadership Award.[87] He was honored in recognition of his passion and his commitment to lasting change in the lives of those in need around the world.[88]
In 2016, Ulukaya was invited to join the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.[89] He is part of the volunteer Board of Directors which determines international policy along with other business leaders, sport leaders, professional athletes, educators and others.[90]
In 2016, Ulukaya received the Disruptor Awards' Christensen Prize.[91] He was a 2013 honoree for the same award.
In July 2017, Ulukaya launched the Hamdi Ulukaya Initiative (HUG) to train Turkish entrepreneurs who are running existing startups or planning on starting a new venture. HUG has a $500 million budget over five years.[92]
In May 2019, it was reported that the Warwick school district in Rhode Island would be instituting a policy whereby students who had outstanding school lunch debt would only be served sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwiches, causing an uproar that they were essentially "school lunch shaming" students who had delinquent accounts, aside from denying them nutritionally balanced lunches. Many of these families were struggling and this was harmful to the students on many levels. Ulukaya stepped in and paid the US$77,000 to cover all the students' outstanding school lunch debt.[93]
Influence and adviserships
Ulukaya has been noted both for his entrepreneurial skills and also his commitment to making affordable and nutritious foods using only natural ingredients.[94] In addition to receiving awards for entrepreneurship, in April 2014 he was named by President Barack Obama as an inaugural member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) initiative – 11 selected business leaders who will encourage entrepreneurship in the U.S. and abroad.[95][96][97] Also in 2014, the Culinary Institute of America honored him with its Leadership Award (Augie Award) in the Health and Wellness category.[98]
Ulukaya was a member of the Upstate Regional Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,[99][100] and previously served as vice chair of the corporate fund board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[101] He is on the board of the Pathfinder Village (Community for Down Syndrome) Foundation in Edmeston, New York.[102]
He has delivered commencement addresses at institutions including the Culinary Institute of America,[103][104] the Sage Colleges,[105] and the University at Albany in New York,[106][107] and has received honorary doctorate degrees from Colgate University,[28] the Sage Colleges,[108] and the University at Albany.[106][109]
From establishing Chobani, Ulukaya has given 10% of his company's net profits to charitable causes, and to individuals and organizations working toward positive long-lasting change.[110][111] In 2010 he established the company's charitable arm, the Chobani Shepherd's Gift Foundation, now called the Chobani Foundation, to manage this philanthropy.[111][112][113][114] Donations have included major grants to support famine relief efforts in Somalia,[112] and to underwrite the New York City Pianos project launched by Sing for Hope.[115][116]
Hamdi Ulukaya pledged to donate most of his wealth, at the time of the pledge at least 700 million dollars, to help the Kurdish refugees, as well as refugees from all around the world.[117]
Honors
Ulukaya's success and entrepreneurship has garnered him numerous awards, honors, and superlatives. These include:
- Fulton County Economic Development Corp.'s Outstanding Business Award 2008[118]
- The Business Review's 40 Under Forty Award of 2009[119]
- American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement (inducted 2011)[120]
- Small Business Administration's 2012 Entrepreneurial Success of the Year Award[111][121]
- Ernst & Young U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year 2012[122]
- Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (2013)[123]
- Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2013[22][124]
- Brand Genius Award from Adweek in 2013, in the Consumer Packaged Goods category[125]
- Sing for Hope honoree at 2013 Art for All Gala[126]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Colgate University (2013)[28]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from the Sage Colleges (2013)[108]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from the University at Albany (2014)[106][109]
- Culinary Institute of America Leadership Award for Health and Wellness (2014)[98]
- Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (2014)[95][96][97]
- 2015 UN Global Leadership Award [127]
- 2016 Eminent Advocate honor from the UNHCR[128]
- 2016 Women's Refugee Committee Voices of Courage Corporate Leadership Award [129]
- Named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2017[130]
- Featured on the cover of Fast Company in 2017 as a model for 21st century leadership[131]
- Featured in Fortune magazine's third annual list of 50 companies that are changing the world in 2017[132]
- Selected by Forbes as one of the 100 greatest business minds as part of the Forbes' centennial celebration[133]
- Included in Fast Company's list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2017[134]
- Save the Children's Humanitarian Award (2017)[135]
- Named one of Foreign Policy Magazine's Global Thinkers (2017)[136]
- Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ Ripple of Hope Award (2017) [137]
- Named one of the National Retail Federations’ People Shaping Retail's Future (2018) [138]
- Accepted Chobani's Salute to Greatness Award by The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (2018) [75]
- Refugees International's McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award (2018) [139]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from the University of Pennsylvania (2018) [140]
- Honored by Lycée Français de New York with the Charles de Ferry de Fontnouvelle Award (2019) [141]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Boise State University (2019) [142]
- Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Southern Methodist University (2019) [143]
- Recipient of the Oslo Business for Peace Award from the Business for Peace Foundation (2019) [144]
- Anti-Defamation League's Courage Against Hate Award (2019)[145][146]
- Global Citizen Prize for Business Leader (2019)[147][148]
Personal life
Ulukaya lives in New Berlin, New York, not far from Chobani's South Edmeston factory and headquarters.[149] He was briefly married in the late 1990s to New York City doctor Ayşe Giray.[150]
In 2015, he had a son, Aga, with Alida Boer.[151] In January 2018, Ulukaya married Louise Vongerichten, co-founder and president of Food Dreams Foundation and daughter of famous French-American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.[152] Later that year in April, the couple welcomed their son, Miran.
Ulukaya has additional offices in Manhattan and Twin Falls, Idaho.[153][154] His pastimes when he is not working include sailing, traveling, and spending time with his two German shepherds.
References
- ^ Caldwell, Michael (2014). The Unknown Billionaires: The life stories of 50 self-made men and women. p. 172. ISBN 9780978462086.
- ^ Frankel, Alison (7 April 2014). "Mud-flavored yogurt? Chobani founder, ex-wife wage ugly ownership war". Reuters Blogs.
- ^ Richardson, Denise. "Chobani offers crew paid child leave". The Daily Star.
- ^ "Chobani'nin Sahibi Ulukaya İkinci Kez Baba Oldu". www.turkavenue.com.
- ^ Adams, Cindy (11 October 2015). "Italian culture thrives in Hollywood".
- ^ a b c "Hamdi Ulukaya". Forbes. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya is donating $2 million to refugees in Syria. He. YouTube. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ O'Neil, Megan (10 October 2014). "Founder of Chobani Yogurt Pledges $2-Million for Syrian and Iraqi Refugees". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Tremblay, Pinar (5 October 2015). "An immigrant himself, Chobani yogurt founder becomes icon for refugees". Al Monitor:The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "The World's Billionaires:#1011 Hamdi Ulukaya". Forbes. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
Citizenship Turkey
- ^ "Kurdish billionaire calls for entrepreneurs to run refugee camps". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ Waxman, Kate Trafecante & Craig. "Turkish-born Greek yogurt billionaire fills his plants with refugees". CNNMoney. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya is donating $2 million to Kurdish refugees in Syria. He". YouTube.
- ^ KIM, SUSANNA (27 April 2016). "Chobani CEO Surprises Employees With Ownership Stake in the Company". ABC News.
- ^ "Greek yogurt billionaire fills his plants with refugees". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "An immigrant himself, Chobani yogurt founder becomes icon for refugees". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Chobani billionaire shares wealth and experience with Kurdistan". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Interview with CNN Money". money.cnn.com.
- ^ a b c Winograd, David. "Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya: Startups Are 'Cool' But Let's Focus On People Who 'Make Things'", Huffington Post. June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Chobani Takes Top Spot as America's #1 Selling Yogurt Brand". Reuters. April 20, 2011.
- ^ "Chobani Yogurt CEO: I Had No Business Experience". Bloomberg TV. February 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013" Archived 2014-09-11 at the Wayback Machine. Ernst & Young. June 9, 2013.
- ^ Buchanan, Leigh (24 December 2019). "The Most Important Entrepreneurs of the Past Decade". Inc.com. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Maisel, Sebastian (2018). The Kurds: An Encyclopedia of Life, Culture, and Society. ABC-CLIO. p. 311. ISBN 9781440842573.
- ^ a b Gross, Daniel. "It's All Greek to Him: Chobani's Unlikely Success Story". Newsweek. June 12, 2013.
- ^ Weisul, Kimberly. "How Turkish 'Dairy Boy' Hamdi Ulukaya Started $600 Million Chobani". Inc. October 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mead, Rebecca. "Just Add Sugar: How an immigrant from Turkey turned Greek yogurt into an American snack food", The New Yorker. November 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Honorary Degree Recipients: Hamdi Ulukaya, Doctor of Humane Letters". Colgate University, 2013. Colgate.edu.
- ^ a b c d e f Prasso, Sheridan. "Chobani: The unlikely king of yogurt", Fortune. December 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Fifield, Anna. "Founder follows his gut instincts". Financial Times. April 9, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ulukaya, Hamdi. "Chobani's Founder on Growing a Start-Up Without Outside Investors". Harvard Business Review. October 2013. (alternate posting: [1]).
- ^ a b c d e f g Gruley, Bryan. "At Chobani, the Turkish King of Greek Yogurt". BusinessWeek. January 31, 2013.
- ^ a b c Needleman, Sarah E. "Old Factory, Snap Decision Spawn Greek-Yogurt Craze". Wall Street Journal. June 20, 2012.
- ^ Chowhound. "What Is the Difference Between Yogurt and Greek Yogurt?". Chowhound. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Agro-Farma's Ulukaya Interview About Chobani Yogurt". Bloomberg TV. April 29, 2011.
- ^ a b Durisin, Megan."Chobani CEO: Our success has nothing to do with yogurt", Business Insider. May 3, 2013.
- ^ Walden, Mark. "Hamdi Ulukaya tells his story at Entrepreneur Weekend", Colgate University – Colgate News. Colgate.edu. April 8, 2013.
- ^ Pride, William; Hughes, Robert; Kapoor, Jack. Business. Cengage Learning, 2013. p. 395.
- ^ a b c Walters, Kath. "CMI Industrial door closes, Chobani Australia opens" Archived 2014-03-10 at archive.today. Leading Company. May 3, 2012.
- ^ "Chobani Founder: Why Quality & Community Are they Keys To Brand Success". PSFK.com. April 2013.
- ^ "Chobani Increases Its Appetite for Business Growth With Microsoft Technologies". Microsoft News Center. March 19, 2013.
- ^ Tuder, Stephanie. "Charting Greek Yogurt's Amazing Rise". ABC News. January 21, 2014.
- ^ Grenoble, Ryan. "Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani Yogurt Founder, One Of The World's Newest Billionaires". Huffington Post. September 14, 2012.
- ^ "Wild ride: the 'Steve Jobs of yoghurt' shares his secrets". The Age. February 27, 2012.
- ^ Nearing, Brian. "Chobani Yogurt receives $1.5M grant from state", Times-Union. July 18, 2012.
- ^ "Chobani expansion project will benefit from $1.5 million in state grants". Albany Business Review. July 18, 2012.
- ^ Strom, Stephanie. "U.S. Hunger for Yogurt Leads to Gigantic Factory". New York Times. December 16, 2012.
- ^ Pride, William; Hughes, Robert; Kapoor, Jack. Foundations of Business. Cengage Learning, 2014. p. 232.
- ^ "Chobani Hires Two Top Executives". FoodProcessing.com. July 12, 2013.
- ^ Chobani Timeline. Chobani.com. April 2013.
- ^ Watson, Elaine. "Chobani takes on oatmeal, ice cream and snacks with new summer launches", Food Navigator USA. April 18, 2004.
- ^ Zimmer, Erin. "First Look: Chobani Soho". Serious Eats. July 31, 2012.
- ^ Chobani SoHo – Menu. Chobani.com.
- ^ Chobani SoHo. Chobani.com.
- ^ Novellino, Teresa. "Chobani founder settles billion-dollar lawsuit with ex-wife, but details scant". The Business Journals. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ Orzeck, Kurt. "Chobani CEO's Deal With Ex-Wife In Ownership Spat OK'd". Law 360. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ Cazentre, Don. "Chobani goes global: CNY-based yogurt company to sell in Asia, Latin America". The Post-Standard. April 16, 2014.
- ^ Spector, Mike and Annie Gasparro. "Chobani Reaches Deal for $750 Million Investment From TPG". Wall Street Journal. April 23, 2014.
- ^ hkennison@magicvalley.com, HEATHER KENNISON. "Chobani's $100M Plan: Yogurt Company to Expand Twin Falls Facility". Twin Falls Times-News. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ Kennison, Heather. "Chobani's $100M Plan: Yogurt Company to Expand Twin Falls Facility". Magic Valley. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Kirk. "An Idaho Town Bucks the Perception of Rural Struggle". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Chobani gets new look and hints at going beyond yogurt". AP News. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Chobani offers crew paid child leave". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help) - ^ "Ellen and The Chobani Foundation Make a Huge Donation to W M Irvin Elementary School!". ellentube.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Video: Chobani CEO discusses the company's campaign with No Kid Hungry on 'GMA'". ABC News. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Corkery, Michael (2 July 2019). "Chobani Turns to Fair-Trade Program to Help Struggling Dairy Industry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Paynter, Ben (18 November 2019). "Exclusive: Chobani's empire was built on Greek yogurt. Here's why its next move is oat milks". Fast Company. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ STROM, STEPHANIE (9 August 2015). "Chobani's Founder Sees Opportunity in a Coffee Insurgent". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ Ulukaya, Hamdi (31 March 2016). "Chobani founder: Higher wages important to our success". CNN Money. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Weinberger, Mark A. "Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani, Inc. and EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2013 Award winner, interviewed by Mark A. Weinberger, EY Global Chairman & CEO". EY: Building a Better Working World. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Weiens, Carl (14 June 2013). "The Experts: Countering the Biggest Misconceptions People Have About U.S. Manufacturing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "Chobani Opens World's Largest Yogurt Manufacturing Plant in Idaho". Reliable Plant. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Brunner, Rob (20 March 2017). "How Chobani's Hamdi Ulukaya Is Winning America's Culture War". Fast Company. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ Kroft, Steve. "Chobani's billionaire founder on creating jobs in America". CBS News. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Home | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change". www.thekingcenter.org. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Ulukaya, Hamdi, The anti-CEO playbook, retrieved 4 June 2019
- ^ a b https://money.cnn.com/2015/05/31/news/warren-buffett-bill-melinda-gates-giving-pledge/index.html
- ^ Toprak, Ergulen (29 May 2015). "Chobani's founder Ulukaya donates $700 million to refugees". My Reports. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ a b Young, Robin; Hobson, Jeremy (23 September 2015). "Chobani CEO Pledges Help To Refugees In Europe". here & Now. WBUR. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ Horowitz, Jake (5 February 2016). "Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya Has a Message on Refugees Every Business Needs to Hear". World.Mic. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "Famous Faces at Davos 2016". CBS Money Watch. CBS News. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ BENMAYOR, GİLA (2 February 2016). "The Chobani effect in the refugee crisis". hurriyetdailynews.com. Daily News. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ TREMBLAY, PINAR (5 October 2015). "An immigrant himself, Chobani yogurt founder becomes icon for refugees". Turkey Pulse. Al-Monitor. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ Canikligil, Razi. "American Turkish Society honors Chobani CEO with humanitarian award". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "American Turkish Society 2015 Gala". American Turkish Society. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "New York Social Diary" (PDF). New York Social Diary. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Children's Aid Announces Honorees for 5th Annual Keeping the Promise Gala". The Children's Aid Society. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "A Night for Promise". Children's Aid Society Blog. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Special Olympics Announces New Members to International Board of Directors". Special Olympics. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Our Board of Directors". Special Olympics International. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Hamdi Ulukaya - Chobani". Disruptor Awards. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Bosilkovski, Igor. "Billionaire Hamdi Ulukaya's Chobani To Spend $5 Million To Train, Assist Young Turkish Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Chobani Yogurt announces it will pay off all of Rhode Island Warwick School District's lunch debt". Daily Kos. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- ^ Dieken, Connie. "The Top Influencers Alive: 10 Breakout Influencers of 2011". Huffington Post. December 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Pritzker, Penny: United States Secretary of Commerce. "Announcing President Obama's New Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship". The White House. April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Harrison, J.D. "Meet Obama's new ambassadors for entrepreneurship". Washington Post. April 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Abdullahoğlu, Eren. "Obama Honors Turkish Entrepreneur Hamdi Ulukaya". Daily Sabah. April 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "2014 CIA Leadership Award Honorees Represent 'The Power of Food'". Culinary Institute of America. January 24, 2014.
- ^ Upstate New York Regional Advisory Board. Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- ^ 2013 Annual Report Archived 2014-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- ^ Corporate Support: The 2014 Corporate Fund Board. The Kennedy Center.
- ^ Pathfinder Village Foundation Board. PathfinderVillage.org.
- ^ "Chobani Founder Delivers Commencement Address at CIA". Culinary Institute of America. May 29, 2013.
- ^ "CIA Bachelor's Graduation Speaker: Hamdi Ulukaya" (video). Culinary Institute of America. May 29, 2013.
- ^ "The Sage Colleges 2013 Commencement Ceremony" Archived 2014-09-10 at the Wayback Machine. Sage Colleges.
- ^ a b c Viccaro, Haley. "2,116 receive degrees at the University at Albany". Daily Gazette. May 19, 2014.
- ^ "Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya's UAlbany Commencement Address" (video). University at Albany.
- ^ a b Sweeney, Charles. "Sage Colleges' commencement celebrates graduates hard work". The Troy Record. May 18, 2013.
- ^ a b "Noted Upstate New York Entrepreneurs to Deliver UAlbany Commencement Addresses, May 17 and 18". University at Albany. April 17, 2014.
- ^ Craig, Victoria. "Chobani Founder: The American Dream Happened to Me", FOX Business. February 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Chobani Selected as SBA's 2012 National Entrepreneurial Success of the Year". Small Business Administration. May 2012.
- ^ a b Malone, Chris and Susan T. Fiske. The Human Brand: How We Relate to People, Products, and Companies. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. p. 83.
- ^ Chobani Shepherd's Gift Foundation, Inc.. Dun & Bradstreet.
- ^ Chobani Foundation. Chobani.com.
- ^ Cordon-Bouzan, Carolina. "Philanthropic Foodies". DC Life Magazine. August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Third Annual Sing for Hope Pianos Begins This Weekend in New York City". Wall Street Journal. May 30, 2013.
- ^ Toprak, Ergulen (29 May 2015). "Chobani's founder Ulukaya donates $700 million to refugees". MyReports.
- ^ McAvoy, Kerry and Michael Anich. "Outstanding Business Award: Euphrates receives EDC's award at Saturday event". The Leader-Herald. April 6, 2008.
- ^ "40 Under Forty: Hamdi Ulukaya". Albany Business Review. December 17, 2009.
- ^ Advertising Hall of Achievement Members Archived 2011-10-12 at the Wayback Machine. American Advertising Federation.
- ^ Byrne, Dennis. "SBA Honors Small Business Champions". Small Business Administration. May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Nothing But Good: Chobani Founder Hamdi Ulukaya Named EY National Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2012 Retail and Consumer Products Award Winner and Overall Award Winner". Ernst & Young. November 17, 2012.
- ^ Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards 2013: Hamdi Ulukaya Archived 2015-01-15 at the Wayback Machine. Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. April 2013.
- ^ "Chobani Founder Named World Entrepreneur 2013". QSR Magazine. June 17, 2013.
- ^ "Adweek's 2013 Brand Genius Awards". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Photo Flash: Melissa Errico, Matt Polenzani, and More at Sing for Hope's 2013 ART FOR ALL Gala". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "The Global Leadership Awards Dinner". YouTube. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names wealthy Indonesian philanthropist as Eminent Advocate". UNHCR. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "2016 Voices of Courage Awards Luncheon". Women's Refugee Commission. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ Roth, Kenneth. "The 100 Most Influential People". Time Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ Brunner, Rob. "How Chobani's Hamdi Ulukaya is Winning America's Culture War". Fast Company. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Chobani". Fortune. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Hamdi Ulukaya | Action". Forbes. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Chobani: Articles, Info, Video | Fast Company". Fast Company. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Ryan Tedder, Hamdi Ulukaya and Bulgari North America to be Honored at the 5th Annual Save the Children Illumination Gala - Presented by Johnson & Johnson; Hosted by Craig Melvin; Leona Lewis to Perform". Save the Children. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "FP's 2017 Global Thinkers". FP's 2017 Global Thinkers. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Rights, Robert F. Kennedy Human. "News". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "NRF Foundation Names People Shaping Retail's Future - Convenience Store Decisions". Convenience Store Decisions. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "RI Honors Hamdi Ulukaya, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Hala Al-Sarraf". Refugees International. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Penn's 2018 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients". almanac.upenn.edu. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "Lycée Honors Hamdi Ulukaya at 2019 Gala". LFNY LIFE. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ News, Boise State (24 April 2019). "Chobani Founder Hamdi Ulukaya to Receive Honorary Doctorate During Morning Commencement Ceremony". Boise State News. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Honorary Degrees - SMU". www.smu.edu. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "Announcing the 2019 Oslo Business for Peace Award Recipients". Business for Peace Foundation. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "Chobani Founder & CEO Hamdi Ulukaya's Keynote Address at ADL's 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Never Is Now 2019 | ADL Courage Against Hate Award Presented to Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani". Wisconsin Gazette. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Meet Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, Winner of the First-Ever Global Citizen Prize for Business Leader". Global Citizen. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Richard Curtis, Sting, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, and Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani to be Honoured at the 2019 Global Citizen Prize on December 13 at Royal Albert Hall". MarketsInsider. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani, Inc. and EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Award winner, interviewed by Mark A. Weinberger, EY Global Chairman & CEO". Ernst & Young. 2013.
- ^ Hornbeck, Eric. "Judge Pauses Chobani Founder's Ex-Wife's $530M Suit", Law360, October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Chobani'nin Sahibi Ulukaya İkinci Kez Baba Oldu". www.turkavenue.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "US-based Turkish yogurt tycoon married in New York". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ Geller, Martinne. "Chobani Chief Executive Hamdi Ulukaya Mulls The Future Of Yogurt". Huffington Post. December 17, 2012.
- ^ "Chobani Opens World's Largest Yogurt Manufacturing Plant in Twin Falls, Idaho". Turk of America. December 19, 2012.
External links
- 2014 Keynote speech (interview) at Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year ceremony (53 minutes)
- 1972 births
- Living people
- American billionaires
- American drink industry businesspeople
- American food company founders
- American food industry business executives
- American investors
- American people of Kurdish descent
- American philanthropists
- Ankara University alumni
- Businesspeople from New York (state)
- Giving Pledgers
- 21st-century philanthropists
- People from İliç
- Turkish emigrants to the United States
- Turkish people of Kurdish descent
- University at Albany, SUNY alumni
- American Muslims
- American Sunni Muslims