US-based yoghurt maker Hamdi Ulukaya was chosen as the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony in Monaco over the weekend.
Born in Turkey, Mr Ulukaya emigrated to the US in 1994 to learn English and attend business school. He set up a company called Chobani in 2005 and launched a Greek-style yoghurt two years later.
In the space of six years, the company has become a business worth about $1 billion a year in sales and is the best-selling brand of yoghurt in the US. The company employs 2,200 staff and donates 10 per cent of its profits to a charity called the Shepherd's Gift Foundation.
Mr Ulukaya is looking to expand into Britain and said he has looked at sites for potential plants in Britain and Ireland.
Rodrigo Herrera, chairman of the judging panel, said Mr Ulukaya's success "proved that the American dream is still possible".
However, Chobani has received some negative press in recent months. In March, a high court judge in Britain ruled that labelling could be confusing to consumers who might think the yoghurt was made in Greece rather than the US. This followed a complaint from a rival and has resulted in Chobani changing its brand there.
More recently, in the US, it has been subject to media scrutiny about how it disposes of acid whey, a potentially harmful byproduct of yoghurt manufacturing. Mr Chobani said the company is disposing of this responsibly, mostly to farmers, who use it as part of their feed for cows and for other purposes.
“I would not even make one cup [of yoghurt] if I thought a drop of that whey would be harmful to anybody anywhere,” he told reporters at a press conference afterwards.
Mr Ulukaya dedicated his award to his “first home: Turkey”. Although based in the US, Mr Ulukaya is not an American citizen. He operates there on a green-card visa.
He said this was simply down to being “lazy” about applying. “I can’t vote [in the US] but I pay lots of taxes,” he said, jokingly. “I am a proud US resident.”
Mr Ulukaya was among 49 finalists bidding for this year's award. Ireland was represented by Kerry businessman Edmond Harty, chief executive of family-owned Dairymaster. The company designs and manufactures equipment for milking cows and employs about 300 staff at its base in the small village of Causeway, Co Kerry.
The judging panel included China-based Irishman Liam Casey, founder and chief executive of technology company PCH International. He was the 2007 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year for Ireland.
