Hamdi Ulukaya - Net Worth, Age, Height, Birthday, Bio, Wiki!

October 2024 · 9 minute read

Explore Hamdi Ulukaya net worth, age, height, bio, birthday, wiki, and salary! In this article, we will discover how old is Hamdi Ulukaya? Who is Hamdi Ulukaya dating now & how much money does Hamdi Ulukaya have?

NameHamdi Ulukaya
First NameHamdi
Last NameUlukaya
OccupationEntrepreneur
BirthdayOctober 26
Birth Year1972
Place of BirthErzincan
Home TownErzincan
Birth CountryTurkey
Birth SignScorpio
Full/Birth Name
ParentsEmine Ulukaya
SiblingsNot Available
SpouseLouise Vongerichten , Ayşe Giray
Children(s)2

Hamdi Ulukaya Biography

Hamdi Ulukaya is one of the most popular and richest Entrepreneur who was born on October 26, 1972 in Erzincan, Erzincan, Turkey.

Born to a dairy-farming 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. In 2002, he started a modest feta-cheese factory on the advice of his father.

Hamdi Ulukaya (born c. 26 October 1972) is a Kurdish billionaire businessman and philanthropist, based in the United States. 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. On April 26, 2016, Ulukaya announced to his employees that he would be giving them 10% of the shares in Chobani.

Hamdi Ulukaya was born in 1972 to a Kurdish family in Turkey. 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. 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.

Hamdi Ulukaya Net Worth

Net Worth: Hamdi Ulukaya’s net worth as of 2020 stands impressive at 2 billion USD. This encompasses mainly his ownership shares in Chobani, which is by far the leading strained yogurt brand in the United States. His fortune places him among the wealthiest entrepreneurs, especially those within the food industry. By comparison, his wealth surpasses that of many other successful entrepreneurs working in the same sector.

Career and Financial Growth: Ulukaya’s ascent to entrepreneurial success was primarily fueled by his business venture, Chobani, which he launched in 2005. Starting with a modest feta-cheese factory earlier, Ulukaya’s fortunes skyrocketed when he advanced into the yogurt business. Chobani reached $1 billion in annual sales in less than five years, thereby solidifying his position in the dairy industry and increasing his personal wealth. Besides Chobani, Ulukaya is also a majority investor in La Colombe Coffee Roasters, further diversifying his investments and sources of income.

Source of net worth: Ulukaya’s majority wealth comes from his successful enterprise, Chobani, which is the top-selling Greek yogurt brand in the US. His entrepreneurial skills and innovative marketing strategies played an instrumental role in transforming the company into a yogurt powerhouse. There are no reports of him entering into substantial endorsement deals or sponsorships; instead, his wealth stems from his thriving business ventures.

Personal Projects and Ventures: Outside his primary business of Chobani, Ulukaya has invested in La Colombe Coffee Roasters. His initiatives also include the Hamdi Ulukaya Initiative to train Turkish entrepreneurs, demonstrating his continuous engagement in entrepreneurial and business development activities beyond his primary profession.

Philanthropy: In line with the philanthropic inclination of successful entrepreneurs, Ulukaya’s altruism is evident. He pledged to donate most of his wealth to help Kurdish and other global refugees. He has also actively donated to support relief efforts in Turkey and Somalia. He established the Chobani Foundation, aimed at managing the company’s charitable contributions, which constitutes 10% of its net profits.

Recent Developments: In recent years, Ulukaya launched several initiatives, including a job training program with the College of Southern Idaho and Chobani Foundation. His philanthropic efforts continue to grow, with generous donations to various social causes. However, given the current economic climate affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, this might impact his business operations slightly. Regardless, with his prudent business approach and commitment to product quality, he’s likely to keep growing his wealth.

Net Worth2 billion USD (2020)
SalaryUnder Review
Source of IncomeEntrepreneur
CarsNot Available
HouseLiving in own house.

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. The venture was modestly successful but by the two-year mark it had just barely broken even. Ulukaya later recalled, “It was two years of the most challenging days of my life.”

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. The 84-year-old factory had been closed by Kraft Foods. Although he initially threw the flier away, Ulukaya toured the plant the following day and decided to buy it, against the advice of his attorney and business advisor. Ulukaya financed the purchase within five months with a loan from the Small Business Administration, plus local business-incentive grants. He initially named his new company Agro Farma, and hired a handful of the former Kraft employees. As a first task they painted and repaired the neglected factory.

Ethnicity, religion & political views

Many peoples want to know what is Hamdi Ulukaya ethnicity, nationality, Ancestry & Race? Let's check it out! As per public resource, IMDb & Wikipedia, Hamdi Ulukaya's ethnicity is Middle Eastern. We will update Hamdi Ulukaya's religion & political views in this article. Please check the article again after few days.

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. 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.

Who is Hamdi Ulukaya Dating?

According to our records, Hamdi Ulukaya married to Louise Vongerichten , Ayşe Giray . As of January 13, 2024, Hamdi Ulukaya’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record: We have no records of past relationships for Hamdi Ulukaya. You may help us to build the dating records for Hamdi Ulukaya!

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. 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. Ernst & Young named Ulukaya as the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2013, and Inc. magazine named him one of the most important entrepreneurs of the past decade in 2019.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.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Hamdi Ulukaya height Not available right now. Hamdi weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

HeightUnknown
WeightNot Known
Body MeasurementsUnder Review
Eye ColorNot Available
Hair ColorNot Available
Feet/Shoe SizeNot Available

Ulukaya lives in New Berlin, New York, not far from Chobani’s South Edmeston factory and headquarters. He was briefly married in the late 1990s to New York City doctor Ayşe Giray.

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.

Facts & Trivia

Hamdi Ranked on the list of most popular Entrepreneur. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Turkey. Hamdi Ulukaya celebrates birthday on October 26 of every year.

After BJ’s and Costco began carrying Chobani in 2009, the company doubled its sales every year through 2013. 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. 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.

What did Hamdi Ulukaya invent?

Ulukaya had the idea to make quality food to feed to his children and sell it on the mass market. Less than five years after purchasing the yogurt factory in 2005, the company achieved over $1 billion in annual sales, according to Bloomberg. By 2011, it became the leading U.S. yogurt brand.

What does Chobani mean in Turkish?

Chobani was founded in 2005 by the Turkish Kurd and businessman Hamdi Ulukaya. He chose the name Chobani as a variation of the modern Turkish word çoban, from Ottoman Turkish چوبان (čobân); itself derived from Persian چوپان (čupân) meaning ‘shepherd‘.

How much of Chobani does Hamdi Ulukaya own?

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 $2 billion. On 26 April 2016, Ulukaya announced to his employees that he would be giving them 10% of the shares in Chobani.

Is Hamdi Ulukaya Greek?

Hamdi Ulukaya, known as the yogurt king, is the founder of America’s most popular Greek yogurt brand, Chobani. Ulukaya grew up in a Kurdish dairy-farming family in Turkey and raised sheep.

Who invented Greek yogurt?

What Americans know as Greek yogurt is a yogurt with most of the whey strained out, making it thicker. In Greece, it’s called straggisto (which simply translates to strained yogurt). Fage, a company that started in Athens, Greece, was the first to put “Greek” on yogurt labels as a way to describe the product.

You may read full biography about Hamdi Ulukaya from Wikipedia.

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