They believed in the future of this country despite the hard times they faced. Restricted biscuit production caused by economic difficulties and their subsequent hard work over the long-term laid the foundations of the Ülker as we know them today.
Every son inherits the wisdom of his father. We have witnessed the ambition, strength to overcome difficulties, endless patience, enthusiasm for innovation and productive capacity, respect for the consumer, dedication to technology, passion for investing, and the patriotism of our beloved father. These traits of our father, who, despite his age, provides us with leadership through the ambition and excitement of his earlier days, are the strength that underlies our 65-year-old industrial success. The wisdom he handed down to us gives us the essential values of Ülker. These values are and always will be our guide as they can never become obsolete. To understand Ülker is to grasp the roots of these values. Ülker, once a small factory producing only one type of biscuit, has become an integrated food production giant with more than 1,800 different products under 200 brands. Despite the massive changes in the company, these values have remained unchanged. Another unchanging fact is that Ülker is still solely a food manufacturer. All our nonfood investments support our main field of activity and this will continue to be so.
In recent years, Ülker has been through rapid changes and growth. The company has grown through new investments, technological upgrades, institutionalization, forming new companies, and entering new markets with new products. We continuously search for opportunities for growth, plan to increase efficiency, support innovations, and strengthen our technological infrastructure and human resources. This crowded agenda will ensure in perpetuity Ülker’s success through a correct reading of the twenty-first century and by adaption to the changing world while preserving the Company’s essential values. This growth, supported by structural changes, will make Ülker a global player.
Our world today is very different from how things were when Ülker was established. Our fathers could access world news only with a few days’ delay, but for our children, the world is only a click away. Thanks to television, they can witness events on the other side of the world as it happens. Globalization fed by developments in information technology, affects all realms of life, with the economy to the fore.
Thanks to globalization, we are able to reach customers thousands of miles away as if they are our next-door neighbors. The world has shrunk to such an extent that now generations around the world have the chance to grow up with Ülker, just as they have in Turkey. When a Heathrow Airport immigration officer sees our surname on a passport and he asks, “Are you in the biscuit business? This is my kids’ favorite brand” and people in Trinidad Tobago and in Germany can simultaneously consume our products, then this gives us the message that, as a Turkish brand, we have an obligation not only to understand our country but also the world.
This message tells us to manage our era of change by closely following developments in Turkey and in the world. With ever-changing consumer trends and developments in food technology, the concept of “food” is being redefined. However, consumers’ expectations are not limited to high quality, healthy, hygienic and fresh products. Our consumers also expect products that ease their lives and protect their health. As Ülker, we are not content with just following trends in the international food sector; we also strive to meet our customers’ expectations at the highest level by contributing to the formation of these trends, with our work on information management, innovation and R&D.
We are adding “taste” to the lives of our customers by reaching millions of people. Thus, our success cannot be measured only in figures or market share. Our real criterion of success should be the satisfaction we create for so many people through the distinctiveness we have created. Consumer satisfaction studies indicate that Ülker not only has an important market share but also an important place in people’s hearts.
Ülker has always been sensitive to Turkey’s social development. Our notion of social responsibility finds its outlet in the form of contributions to various areas of life such as education, sports, the environment and health. We will continue to be engaged in successful projects in these areas in partnership with relevant NGOs.
Our founders had confidence in the future of Turkey, and time has proved them right. We, as the managers of a brand born in this country, believe in both Ülker’s and Turkey’s future in the world.
Murat Ülker
Chairman of the Board