Industry Food processing Founder Hamdi Ulukaya CEO Hamdi Ulukaya (2005–) Number of employees 2,000 | Website chobani.com Founded 2005 Headquarters Norwich Type of business Private | |
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Key people Hamdi Ulukaya,
Founder & CEO Profiles | ||
Chobani ceo giving employees an ownership stake in yogurt empire nbc nightly news
Chobani (stylized as CHOBANI) is an American brand of strained yogurt produced by Chobani, LLC. The company was founded in 2005 when Hamdi Ulukaya bought a plant in the town of New Berlin, New York, that was being closed by Kraft Foods. Ulukaya hired several of the former Kraft employees as well as a "yogurt master" and launched his brand in 2007.
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Chobani yogurt ceo i had no business experience
History
The word chobani is derived from the Persian loanword in Turkish, çoban, meaning "shepherd".
Chobani has approximately 2,000 employees and is the top-selling brand of Greek yogurt in the United States.
In 2012, Chobani became an official sponsor of the US Olympic Team and premiered their first national commercial during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
On December 17, 2012 Chobani opened one of the world’s largest yogurt-processing plants in Twin Falls, Idaho. The one million square-foot facility cost $450 million and employs 300 people. Mr. Ulukaya said, “The state expects the total economic impact of our business there to be $1.3 billion.” The plant won the 2013 DBIA Design-Build Project of the Year award and the 2013 Food Plant of the Year award from Food Engineering magazine.
Despite maturing market sales, the largest seller of Greek yogurt has looked out for its bottom line by launching new products and iterations. It is preparing to launch a new line of flavors at the start of 2016, all aimed at getting people to eat more yogurt throughout the day.
In April, 2016, Chobani announced it was giving 10 percent of its ownership stake to its employees. Considering there are 2000 employees, this would be on average $150,000 per employee. Some employees will be becoming instant millionaires as a result of this action, because share awards were based on tenure at the company.
Retail
On July 25, 2012 Chobani opened its first yogurt bar in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. In October of 2016, Chobani debuted their cafe in Target, at a Tribeca location. The menu consists of various dishes made with Chobani's yogurt and other natural ingredients.
Chobani sells thick, Greek-style yogurt with a higher protein content than traditional yogurt and is among one of the main companies to popularize this style of yogurt. It promotes its products as healthy food.
On September 3, 2013, Chobani pulled some of its Greek-style yogurt from supermarket shelves after hearing of "swelling or bloating" in cups. The company said it has investigated and found a type of mold commonly found in dairy that may be to blame. Chobani announced a voluntary recall on September 5, in cooperation with the FDA. On September 9, 2013, the FDA reported at least 89 people have reported getting sick after eating the yogurt.
Australia
November 2011 marked the first international expansion for Chobani as their products were launched in New South Wales, Australia. Chobani now sponsors the Australian Short Track Speed Skating Team, whose members include Ron, Shehab and Lloyd.
Canada
A short-lived Canadian launch followed shortly. In 2013, after the expiration of a Canadian importation permit, and failure to secure a long term milk supply, Chobani withdrew from the Canadian market.
UK
September 2012 saw Chobani’s introduction in the UK when their yogurt was carried in 200 Tesco stores.
Chobani was ordered in 2013 to change their yogurt's labeling in England and Wales after a judge ruled that the wording "Greek yoghurt" (rather than Greek-style) misled consumers into thinking the yogurt was made in Greece (yogurt imported from Greece is sold in Britain, and is the only type sold as "Greek").