MEMBER SUCCESS STORIES
Southeast Antep Fıstıkcılık Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.
YILMAZ family, which continues pistachio production from father to son, carries its half-century of knowledge and experience to all over Türkiye and the world with the brand of Güney Antepfıstıkçılık Sanayi ve Ticaret AS.
Gazi YILMAZ and his son Ahmet YILMAZ, who took their first steps in the sector in 1986 in a small shop in Istanbul, the most important commercial center of the time, managed to become one of the leading brands in the sector today in the production of processed pistachios with the modern facility with an annual production capacity of 12 thousand tons they established in Nizip district.
Ahmet YILMAZ, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Southeast Antepfıstıkçılık Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, which made a name for itself by ranking 65th among the "Turkey 100 Program of the top 100 companies with the highest growth rate" organized under the leadership of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), answered the questions of the Nizip Commodity Exchange team.
1-Can we get to know you and your business?
My name is Ahmet YILMAZ. I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Southeast Integrated Pistachio Farming. The first foundations of our company were laid in Gaziantep in 1978 by Gazi YILMAZ, the founder of our company. Our company, which previously sold pistachios to Istanbul and surrounding provinces, continued its activities in Istanbul as Güney Antepfıstıkçılık Sanayi ve Ticaret AS in 1986. It serves Türkiye's and the world's leading ice cream, chocolate, dessert, cake, Turkish delight and halva producers with its industrial products such as whole pistachios, pieces of pistachios, puree and dragees. Having moved its production facility to Nizip district of Gaziantep in 2019, Güney Antepfıstıkçılık Sanayi ve Ticaret AS broke new ground in pistachio production and brought the most modern and hygienic integrated pistachio production facility to our country.
2- What was your production capacity and production area when you first started? How much is it now as of 2024?
The founder of our company, my father Gazi YILMAZ, started with a 40 square meter shop in Istanbul. While at that time we were only supplying products to a few companies in Istanbul, today we are the supplier of Türkiye's and the world's leading manufacturers with an annual production capacity of 12 thousand tons and many different products we produce in a closed area of approximately 5000 square meters.
3-What is your situation in export and domestic market? If you export, to which countries do you export?
As Southeast Entegre Antepfıstıkcılık, we send all the industrial products we produce, such as pistachios, pieces of pistachios, puree and dragees, to Türkiye's and the world's leading ice cream, chocolate, dessert, cake, Turkish delight and halva producers. We supply products not only to the domestic market but also to leading companies in the foreign market. In periods when the yield and the price in the domestic market are favorable, our export rate can reach up to 60%. Our goal this year is to hopefully reach a 70% export rate.
4-How many people are employed in your business?
In our company, production is carried out without human contact using high-tech devices. On the Pistachio Selection Line; Processes such as foreign matter, unwanted grains and color separation of the products passing through the crushing and cracking lines are carried out with the help of a laser sorter. Even though we have a high-tech facility, we contribute to employment and provide employment opportunities for 70 people. Among them are Food Engineers who are experienced in their fields.
5- What advice do you have for young people who want to achieve success in business life?
My father, Gazi YILMAZ, says, “We grew up under the pistachio tree.” In our business, it is very important to grow from the core. In order to achieve success in business life, one needs to improve himself in every field and have knowledge on issues such as production, purchasing and finance. Our young people need to have self-confidence, love what they do, and climb the steps one by one. My advice is that you should start your business life without compromising on honesty and that you should work harder and sweat more than your employees in order to be the best in your business.
6- Do you participate in the activities of Nizip Commodity Exchange (training, meetings, international fairs)? If you participated, what were the benefits for you?
We follow and attach importance to the activities carried out by Nizip Commodity Exchange, especially for its members. We think that training activities are especially beneficial for the employees we employ within our company. In the future, we would like to participate in organizations such as training, meetings and international business trips to be organized by our stock exchange.
7- Are you informed about the activities of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB)?
We follow the work done by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, Turkey's largest business organization, and we think that you are an important organization for the business world. Our company has achieved great success by ranking 65th among the top 100 companies with the highest growth rate in 2019-2021, among the companies that applied to the Turkey 100 Program, organized in 2024 under the leadership of TOBB and in cooperation with TOBB ETÜ and TEPAV.