The thick, tangy "Greek-style" yogurt you see on America's supermarket shelves today has behind it the stubbornness of a man who came from a mountain village in Erzincan. Hamdi Ulukaya, when he went to America without knowing English, did not like the yogurts on the shelves, and that dissatisfaction became the first spark of a billion-dollar empire.
Born in 1972 in Erzincan, into a family steeped in milk, cheese, and livestock, his childhood was spent following his family's flock and in the cheese dairy. He studied political science at Ankara University, then went to America to learn the language. In his pocket, he had not a grand dream, but just a few dollars and a language to learn.
Abandoned factory and the "crazy" decision
In 2005, a newspaper ad changed everything: Kraft was closing and putting up for sale a yogurt factory in upstate New York. While everyone around him said "don't buy that factory," Ulukaya purchased the abandoned facility with a government loan for small businesses (SBA). In the early years, he slept and ate at the factory; he painted it himself, repaired the machines himself.
In 2007, the first Chobani cases were shipped to Long Island supermarkets. This yogurt, starting with an ordinary, plain packaging, soon changed the American palate. From 2009 to 2012, sales grew by nearly 400 percent. Chobani suddenly became the country's best-selling yogurt brand.
Turning points
- Born in a village in Erzincan to a shepherd family.
- Went to America with just a few dollars to learn a language.
- In 2005, bought an abandoned yogurt factory with a loan.
- In the early years, he slept and ate at the factory; did every job himself.
- Within 5 years, reached the top of the American yogurt market.
- In 2016, gifted 10 percent of the company to his employees.
The boss who says "people first"
What sets Ulukaya apart from an ordinary billionaire is that he shared as he earned. In 2016, he distributed 10 percent of the company's shares to his employees. He hired refugees from all over the world in his factories, and in 2015 founded the Tent Foundation to support refugees. His famous TED talk was titled "The anti-CEO handbook": he argued that companies should serve not only profit but also people and society.
"Failure is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently." Ulukaya's story is like living proof of that sentence.
Today, Hamdi Ulukaya is considered Turkey's richest person with an estimated fortune of about $13.7 billion, according to Forbes data. Chobani's value reached $20 billion with a new investment in late 2025; the company also entered Turkey's agenda by signing a stadium sponsorship deal with Fenerbahce. But perhaps the most striking figure is this: the distance from the few dollars in a village child's pocket to the peak of a nation's wealth.
