Episode Details

Chobani Founder Hamdi Ulukaya on the Journey from Abandoned Factory to Yogurt Powerhouse

21 Apr 2022

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Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya has a tale that practically defines the American Dream. Ulukaya, a Kurd, was born in eastern Turkey, where his family owned a small dairy farm. He eventually came to the U.S., and in 2005 came across an abandoned yogurt factory for sale in upstate New York. Ulukaya bought it and hired a small team and to make yogurt that was less sugary and less watery than what was generally produced in the U.S. The product was called Chobani, and it was a hit. Today Chobani is a global player and has more than 20% of the U.S. yogurt market. HBR editor in chief Adi Ignatius sat down with Ulukaya in this episode of our video series “The New World of Work” to talk about: • How Chobani has managed to stay true to its original values, even as it massively scaled up and competed in a sector where quality often has to compete with profitability. • What it takes to truly put a company’s people at the center of the corporate mission. • His and Chobani’s role in supporting refugees, through employment—and other—opportunities worldwide. This interview part of a series called “The New World of Work,” which explores how top-tier executives see the future and how their companies are trying to set themselves up for success. Each week, HBR Editor Adi Ignatius will interview a leader on LinkedIn Live — and then share an inside look at those conversations and solicit questions for future discussions in a newsletter just for HBR subscribers. If you’re a subscriber, you can sign up for the newsletter here: https://hbr.org/my-library/preferences?movetile=newworldofwork. Follow us: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review/ https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_business_review Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters #HarvardBusinessReview #FutureofWork #Chobani Copyright © 2022 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.

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