In the interview we held,
Sinerji Gıda Founder and General Manager Ahmet Özyaşar answered our questions. Explaining the establishment and milestones of Sinerji Gıda, Özyaşar gave information about the product groups they offer.
First of all, we would like to get to know you. Could you tell us about your educational background, professional career, and personal interests?
I graduated from Yıldız Technical University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, I started working in the private sector. Following a sixmonth language course in Australia, I returned to Turkey and started working at PNS Pendik Nişasta, a joint venture between Ülker and Cerestar.
Due to the changing market and company dynamics resulting from the Sugar Law, which was enacted in April 2021, and Cerestar’s acquisition by
Cargill in 2022, I decided to fulfill
my long-standing dream of starting my own company.
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Sinerji Gıda Founder and General Manager Ahmet Özyaşar[/caption]
When was Sinerji Gıda founded? To what extent has Sinerji Gıda been able to achieve its goals in the start-up phase, and how has Sinerji Gıda developed during this period?
Under the conditions I just described, I founded Sinerji Gıda in 2004 with two old friends who believed in me, Doğan Timuçin and Hakan Tekin. With the addition of another fellow partner, Abdullah Çakmak, we became a four-person partnership in 2007.
We can divide the development of Sinerji Gıda up to the present day and future plans into ten-year periods. Our experience at PNS Pendik Nişasta and the vision we gained there made us a major starch and derivatives distribution company in Turkey by the end of the first ten years.
The second ten years were a period during which we increased our product diversity and acquired a powder mixing facility. In the third ten years, which we have just entered, we have completed the “Flavor Enhancers” part of our powder mixtures through the acquisition of the Baharot company in January.
This year, we changed our organizational structure with a decision we made. We classified the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, healthy living and seafood, feed, and agriculture sectors into two independent categories, and divided our existing food categories into three. In this way, with five category managers and a sales manager, we positioned our company as a “Life Sciences Supplier.”
Which products and services does Sinerji Gıda provide to its customers, and could you provide detailed information? In which regions in Turkey and abroad do you operate?
We provide solutions for almost the entire life sciences sector with starch, modified starch, starch derivatives, hydrocolloids, plant proteins, fibers, preservatives, and colorants. Currently, our operations largely include the domestic sales of leading companies in the
areas we represent.
With the support of our production companies, we plan to increase our export volumes rapidly in the coming period. Environmental sensitivity and sustainability have gained even more importance in recent years.
Could you provide information about your views on these issues and Sinerji Gıda’s approach?
All of the companies we import from have goals related to environmental sensitivity and sustainability. We have implemented as many of these practices as possible at our production facilities in Turkey since their establishment. We are preparing to celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2024 by obtaining our quality management certifications.
From an innovation and R&D perspective, what kind of innovations do you offer to your customers as Sinerji Gıda?
Innovation and R&D have been our top priority since our establishment. In our laboratory, which we established in 2017 for the purposes of quality control and product development, we provide solutions to our customers’ complaints and support new product development
activities.
For this purpose, we have a Quality and Business Development Department, which operates independently of our sales organization and employs four engineering colleagues.
What are the criteria that Sinerji Gıda considers important when creating investment plans? Do you plan investments for the short and long term?
Our investment plans will mainly focus on increasing the capacity and product variety of our production facilities. We have a 15,000 m2 plot of land in the Kandıra Food Specialization Zone, where infrastructure work is about to be completed.
After parcel allocations, we want to increase our visibility in export markets, primarily in the Middle East and Africa, thanks to the capacity increases that will occur with our modern facilities that we will establish here.
We are aware that the most important thing for this is human resources, and we trust our valuable employees and try to help them develop themselves. While implementing these plans on the production side, we will not neglect our core business of distributing Life Sciences Components.
For this purpose, we plan to agree with new suppliers, primarily in the new categories we have created, while improving our cooperation with existing suppliers.
