BBM 72 - January 2024

BBM • JANUARY - OCAK 2024 73 COVER STORY • KAPAK DOSYASI ber of the European Union, Erhan Özmen provided the fol- lowing assessments for the flour and bakery products sectors: “Based on my experiences, I can confidently state that the Turkish flour industry is currently grappling with a significant surplus in capacity. Turkey holds the distinction of being the world’s top consumer of bread, with an annual per-person consumption reaching 200 kilograms, surpassing Germany’s 180-190 kilograms of bakery products. Yet, stepping into a German bakery feels akin to entering a jewelry store, with a diverse array catering to individuals of all ages. Unfortu- nately, our sector, particularly flour industrialists, has struggled to diversify its product range. To address this challenge, we embarked on a journey to break established patterns. In col- laboration with German and Swiss partners, our Industry 4.0 investment covers an expansive 20,000 square meters, fea- turing a storage capacity of 60,000 tons. Our mission was to unveil the product diversity present in Turkey. We set out on this journey with the ambition to disrupt established norms. Our dark mill stands out globally as one of the enterprises with the highest food safety standards. Utilizing technology introduced by a German company, we source under- ground water from wells, even drinking the water used to wash the wheat from our taps, boasting a pH value exceeding 8.” WE’VE MAPPED TURKEY’S BAKERY PRODUCTS LANDSCAPE “As a company, we collaborated with Mine Ataman, a key ex- pert in the industry, to map out the landscape of bakery prod- ucts in Turkey. Our research delved into the production and consumption patterns of bakery goods across various regions, leading to the development of over 200 diverse types of flour. Breaking traditional norms, we achieved a global milestone that goes beyond Turkey and extends to the Middle East. By enhancing the quality and diversity of Turkey’s flour, we now export these specially crafted flours to nearly 30 countries. With a dedicated team of 30 engineers, we continue to invest not only our hard work but also our intellectual efforts in Re- search and Development (R&D) and Know-how, paving our way to global success. Focused on our core expertise, we’ve implemented all R&D and innovations. Within this mill, we pro- cess one truck of wheat per hour and a total of 24 trucks daily, all while maintaining just a single employment position. Located in Gaziantep, our mill stands in the region where wheat first met humanity. We reside in one of the rare ar- eas globally that preserves ancestral seeds, extending from Mesopotamia and Çukurova to the Harran and Maraş Plains, where the sun shines most directly and lingers the longest. By sun-cooking the ancestral seeds we obtain from these regions, we produce flours used in a variety of products, in- cluding baklava, desserts, bakery items, croissants, pizza, and pasta, available both in Turkey and internationally.” ülkeye ihraç ediyoruz. Biz 30 mühendisle “Alın terinin ya- nında Akıl terimizi” de akıtarak Ar-Ge ve Know-howumuzla, dünya açılarak yolumuza devam ediyoruz. Bütün Ar-Ge ve inovasyonları en iyi bildiğimiz işimize odaklanarak gerçek- leştirdik. Bu işletmemizde saatte 1, günde ise 24 TIR buğ- day işleniyor. Bu karanlık değirmen çalışırken sadece bir kişi istihdam ediliyor. Değirmenimizin bulunduğu Gaziantep; buğdayın ilk in- sanlıkla buluştuğu toprakların olduğu bölgede yer alıyor. Dünyada atalık tohumların korunduğu ender bölgelerden bir tanesinde yaşıyoruz; Mezopotamya, Çukurova, Harran Ovası, Maraş Ovası ve Mardin’e kadar uzanan, güneşin diki- ne vurduğu ve en uzun kaldığı bölgelerden biri. Ata tohum- larımızı güneşte pişirerek buralardan elde ettiğimiz unları, Türkiye’de ve dünyada baklava, tatlı, unlu mamuller, kruva- san, pizza ve makarnaya kadar her türlü ürün için kullanıma sunuyoruz. ”