Yoghurt king Hamdi Ulukay opens Dandenong plant

Grant Jones
December 05, 2012
News Limited Network

THE man who turned yoghurt into a billion-dollar business will open his first Australian operation today in Victoria.

Described by Forbes magazine as the Steve Jobs of yoghurt, Hamdi Ulukaya has captured 20 per cent of the total US market and has similar plans for his new factory here, he said yesterday.

The outlook is already positive with Woolworths which encouraged Chobani to expand here – reporting a 23 per cent increase in sales of natural and Greek yoghurts in the last quarter, and an 18.5 per cent increase in digestive yoghurts (those containing additional beneficial bacteria).

The demand for natural yoghurt is far outstripping any other variety as consumers are becoming more aware of the health benefits and are using yoghurt in cooking at home.

Mr Ulukaya, who emigrated from Turkey to the US in 1995, chose Australia for his expanding base as it is English speaking and has “strong, deep Mediterranean roots”.

“They do know what yoghurt should taste like because their grandmother grew up with it and some of them have been making it in their homes, so they knew what Greek yoghurt strained yoghurt should taste like,” he said.

Tony de Thomasis, head of fresh chilled products at Woolworths, said while our consumption is low on a global scale “we look to see our dairy consumption growing,” he said.

Mr Ulukaya said Australia was ideally placed for his expansion plans into an Asian market.

“If you see butter or (milk) powder or cheese that comes from Australia, it has a reputation of being a high quality product,” he said. “And of course for expanding into the Asian market this is the perfect place.”

Young mother Brooke Galloway’s 8-month-old daughter Tennille is about to get her first taste of natural yoghurt.

“I cook everything for her and I am a big fan of natural food,” the Rozelle mum said.

Mr Ulukaya said he expects a food revolution in the next few years “not to invent or innovate, it’s going to be back to simplicity”.

“It’s becoming cool for teenagers to take a product like Chobani out of their schoolbags and say, ‘Hey this is what I am eating, instead of taking out a soda (soft drink)’. What we have to do is make sure we stay true to the integrity of yoghurt,” Mr Ulukaya said.

After the shock collapse of Gourmet Food Holdings’ Rosella factory in Dandenong on Monday, the opening of the 3000sqm plant today nearby is welcome news to 50 new employees and a further 150 workers over the next year.

Yoghurt sales growth at Woolworths in the last quarter
Overall yoghurts … 5.9 per cent
Digestive products (Activia, Vaalia, etc) … 18.5 per cent
Natural and Greek yoghurt (also used for cooking) 23 per cent.
Chobani’s Dandenong plant
$30 million investment
Over 3000sqm of wet processing and coolroom facilities
Tripling production capacity to more than 30,000 tonnes of yoghurt per annum
50 news jobs created in the last year, 150 more jobs expected to be added over the next three years