A Turkey native, Hamdi Ulukaya was disappointed by the selection of yogurts when he arrived in the United States in 1994. One night in 2005, Ulukaya came across an advertisement for a fully equipped yogurt plant formerly owned by Kraft in upstate New York. On a whim, he purchased the facility and began his business with a small sum of grants and a handful of employees. While many doubted the company's lack of venture capital partners, Ulukaya refused to outsource, fearing that he would lose control of the product.
Shortly after hitting the shelves, Chobani became an instant success. The diary start-up prompted a Greek yogurt craze across the nation, leaving established industry titans like Yoplait and Dannon in shock. Its impressive achievements within a short period of time even had large corporations knocking on their door with buyout offers, only to be refused by the founder who wished to remain independent.
Over the years, Chobani has remained its focus on highlighting the taste and making its product available to consumers. Overturning some long-held prejudices that premium yogurts are only offered in specialty aisles in upscale grocery stores, Ulukaya thought otherwise and insisted on delivering his product to mainstream customers by placing Chobani in diary sections of local grocery stores. With the Greek yogurt craze in full swing, Chobani has risen to become one of the key players of the industry and the company is expected to experience even more growth in the future with a rise in health trends around the world.
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