
An immigrant from Turkey turned Greek yogurt into an American snack food (2013) - sizzle
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/11/04/just-add-sugar
======
enraged_camel
I'm a Turkish immigrant as well, and I read this story from time to time for
inspiration. What Ulukaya has accomplished is truly remarkable.

For us hacker types, I think the most relevant tidbit is this:

 _Making the product, which Ulukaya registered under the name Euphrates, was
the easy part. It was much harder to run the factory, hire the right people,
handle sales and marketing, and secure wholesale buyers._

This is similar to what you hear from startup founders: making the product is
relatively easy compared to the "business stuff" such as hiring, marketing,
sales and so on. What is not clear -- to me, at least -- is that did the
making of the product simply appear easy because it was enjoyable, and vice
versa?

This part is interesting too:

 _In 2005, Ulukaya received a piece of junk mail, from a local real-estate
company, advertising the sale of a yogurt-and-cheese factory that had closed
down. He went to see it._

I don't know if this is proof that junk mail is common because it works. Maybe
it is. But think about how much sheer luck was involved here. He got some junk
mail, which he happened to browse (out of boredom?) or maybe he was just
staring at it while thinking about something else and it suddenly piqued his
interest. He then leveraged that luck by actually going to see the factory. If
he had not, then Chobani would probably still be a small-time producer of
yogurt today.

~~~
nsgf
Yea, they accomplished a lot but are now facing multiple lawsuits from the
Greek dairy company FAGE.
[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=el&sl=el&tl=en&u=h...](https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=el&sl=el&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naftemporiki.gr%2Ffinance%2Fstory%2F838018%2Fbretania-
dikastiki-niki-tis-fage-sti-diamaxi-gia-to-elliniko-giaourti)

~~~
jballanc
Hah! Oh man...this is so classic I just had to laugh. In case you weren't
aware, the rivalry between Turks and Greeks has been going on for literally
centuries. What makes this all the more laughable is that the word "yogurt" is
Turkish. However, since the Greeks have done a better job (in recent history
at least) of exporting their culture to the west, Chobani's sales would
probably plummet if they relabeled as "Turkish Yogurt", even though that would
be a more accurate term for it in more ways than one.

~~~
nsgf
Actually, i am located in Athens. The rivalry is indeed a major factor,
spanning centuries. FAGE bases all these lawsuits on E.U. schemes: PDO
(protected designation of origin), PGI (protected geographical indication) and
TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed)

~~~
_delirium
The lawsuits are mainly in the U.S., aren't they? As far as I know, in the EU
the situation isn't really disputed, since origin labeling is stricter. Here
in Denmark there are three common categories of labeling for this style of
yogurt: 1) "Greek yogurt", which implies it's imported from Greece; 2)
"Turkish yogurt", which implies it's imported from Turkey; and 3) "strained"
or "Greek-style" or "Turkish-style" yogurt, which doesn't imply a geographic
origin.

Fage oddly has nearly zero market share in Denmark though, despite Greek
yogurt having a good market share. The dominant brand is the Danish brand
"Nostimo", part of the Danton Trading group run by a Greek-Danish
entrepreneur. The yogurt is all sourced from Greece, but the operation is run
mainly out of Aarhus.

~~~
nsgf
Yes, it seems to be U.S.-centric, although the most recent one was in the U.K.

------
_delirium
The narrative here seems contrary to how I remember it, though I'm no analyst
of the grocery sector. I don't live in the U.S. anymore, but in the 2000s, I
remember Greek yogurt being popular, but don't remember this company Chobani.
There were basically two kinds of "Greek yogurt": the Greek brand Fage was the
higher-priced "authentic" brand, and then Trader Joe's, Safeway, etc. had
lower-priced "Greek-style" brands that differed partly by origin and partly by
the use of thickening agents like pectin. Chobani's dominance from my memory
seems like a more recent thing, _after_ the style had been established. But
that may vary regionally as well; I lived in California.

~~~
hayksaakian
In my experience, greek yoghurt was sold as a commodity, ingredient, and niche
ethnic product before.

You bought it in Large containers and usually it was either generic, or
whichever ONE name brand they sold (at the normal grocery stores).

Nowadays, it's a popular consumer product sold in individual size containers,
with fruit and other kinds of flavors.

(Seattle)

~~~
_delirium
At least in CA circa the mid 2000s, it was sold in individual snack-size
containers, as you describe. Several formats, one of which was a two-part
container with yogurt on one side and honey on the other [1]. The store brands
tended to prefer a more "American-style" approach with pre-mixed fruit/yogurt
in one compartment [2].

Some arbitrarily chosen photos via Google image search:

[1]
[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HVyAxMPVFG0/T-mq0CkyhsI/AAAAAAAAEg...](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HVyAxMPVFG0/T-mq0CkyhsI/AAAAAAAAEg8/1Ux_F-z9YAs/s1600/Fage+Total+2%2525+Greek+Yogurt+with+Honey+Close.jpg)

[2]
[http://greedygirlinlasvegas.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/tj-g...](http://greedygirlinlasvegas.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/tj-
greek-yogurt1.jpg)

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afterburner
I really wish this had happened to Labneh instead of Greek Yogurt. Same basic
type of food, a thicker yogurt, but it's a little thicker and drier than Greek
yogurt and has a different taste, one I vastly prefer. Add a touch of olive
oil and it makes an amazing dip with some Lebanese style pita bread.

Someone take this and run with it, I would like to be able to find Labneh in
all grocery stores, next to the Greek yogurt.

~~~
adamnemecek
Or to quark cheese. It's similar to Greek yogurt but has much more protein.

~~~
Mandatum
Have made my own before following this recipe, turned out really well:
[http://fresh.co.nz/homemade-quarg-or-quark/](http://fresh.co.nz/homemade-
quarg-or-quark/)

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zwieback
I really liked Chobani for a while but they seem to have real quality issues
and after throwing out a few too many cups I switched back to Fage, which I
seems to be able to control their cultures better.

Also good: Tillamook greek yogurt - go Oregon!

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lobster_johnson
I love yogurt, but Chobani is probably the worst example of a good yogurt
product. Sugary and yucky, just like the awful stuff made by Dannon and
Yoplait.

I guess I don't understand American tastes; yogurt is supposed to be tangy,
not sweet. I don't mind there being sweet varieties, but it's hard to find
anything that isn't full of sugar, or is "low fat" or "no fat" (meaning,
again, more sugar) or "creamline" (meaning unappetizingly slimy).

~~~
SeanLuke
??? This isn't an American taste thing: such yogurt styles are directly from
Europe. Switzerland, Italy, France, UK, and Ireland all produce yogurt in a
form immediately recognizable to Americans. For example, just yesterday I was
in a grocery store in Italy buying yogurt, and had two options: exactly like
Yoplait, or greek style (Fage etc.)

~~~
lobster_johnson
I am having much less of a problem finding unsweetened (ie., fruit only)
yogurt in many other countries, although I will agree that the problem is not
unique to the US.

For a direct US-to-Europe comparison, when I'm in Germany, my favourite non-
plain yogurt to buy is Müller's "Joghurt mit der Ecke" with granola [1]. It's
118 kcal and contains 11.3g carbs. It exists in the US [2], but with a
different formulation: The US version is 210 kcal with a carbohydrate content
of 32g, of which 22g is sugar. It tastes disgustingly sweet, for me it's
inedible.

In the US, yogurt is almost exclusively sweetened, with a sugar content of
typically about 10-20%; most of the sugar doesn't come from the fruit, but
from pure sugar and fruit juice. The yogurts are almost entirely "no fat",
which from a flavour perspective is awful; fat has been replaced with sugar,
making it less healthy. In my local supermarkets in NYC, the only whole-milk
yogurts available are plain yogurts from brands like Stonyfield.

[1]
[http://www.muellermilch.de/fileadmin/documents/infos/info_na...](http://www.muellermilch.de/fileadmin/documents/infos/info_naehrwerte.pdf)

[2] [http://www.mullerquaker.com/products/corner/crunchy-
granola-...](http://www.mullerquaker.com/products/corner/crunchy-granola-
yogurt)

