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Chobani
A shepherd's son with $3,000 built a billion-dollar yogurt company — and gave workers 10%.
▶ Founder shortScalingBusiness & growthConsumerE-commerceUSA
Hamdi Ulukaya grew up in the mountains of eastern Turkey making yogurt by hand and arrived in the US in 1994 with about $3,000 and little English. In 2005 he bought a shuttered Kraft yogurt plant with a small-business loan, hired back the workers Kraft had let go, and spent 18 months perfecting a strained Greek yogurt. Chobani became America's best-selling Greek yogurt, a multi-billion-dollar company, and in 2016 Ulukaya gave employees 10% of it.
Why it's indexed
- From a closed Kraft plant to the #1 Greek yogurt in America.
- Gave employees 10% of the company in 2016.
- Built on a small-business loan, not venture capital.
Coverage
Founder short: Hamdi Ulukaya & ChobaniFounder short
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