Okur Group has acquired Ege Hazır Yiyecek, which produces packaged ready meals under the Mezzet brand in İzmir. Speaking about the acquisition, Okur Group CEO Çağtuğ Kitapçıoğlu stated that they aim to double the company’s turnover within two years and pursue export-driven growth and functional food development. He also said, “We will continue with the Mezzet brand and create new brands.”
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Operating in organic agriculture, organic personal care, and cosmetics, Okur Group has acquired Ege Hazır Yiyecek, which produces packaged ready meals under the Mezzet brand in İzmir. Okur Group CEO Çağtuğ Kitapçıoğlu stated that they took over the company on July 7 and that they aim to grow Ege Hazır Yiyecek.
Kitapçıoğlu said there is strong motivation behind the acquisition of Ege Hazır Yiyecek: “As many know, Ege Hazır Yiyecek is a brand that started in a small delicatessen shop with stuffed vine leaves. Before acquiring it, we knew its story, but we were not aware of how significant a success story it was. Today, operating in a 20,000 square meter indoor facility with 500 employees, it is Turkey’s largest meze producer, which was our biggest motivation for acquiring it.”
“We aim to double the company’s turnover in 2 years”
Kitapçıoğlu stated that Okur Group has long been in the food sector and wants to regain its identity as a food producer: “We know the sector very well. We want to grow Ege Hazır Yiyecek very quickly. We will continue with the Mezzet brand, and there will also be new brands.”
He continued: “We are already one of the largest producers in Turkey. Our priority is exports, and we aim to double the company’s turnover within two years. This is not an unreachable goal. We also aim to enter Turkey’s Top 500 Industrial Enterprises list. We have an aggressive growth target. Currently, exports account for around 14% of sales. We aim to increase this first to 30% and then to 50%. Our target markets are Europe, Scandinavia, the UK, and North America. We will grow in these markets and take our place on shelves with new and improved products.”
“We will grow in medicinal and aromatic plant production”
Kitapçıoğlu stated that in 2022 they purchased 4,000 decares of agricultural land in İvrindi, Balıkesir, where they have been cultivating organic medicinal and aromatic plants under the Agrokur brand for five years: “We grow certified organic products such as thyme, sage, mint, melissa, laurel, and rosemary. We hold the Naturland certification from the European Organic Farmers Association. This is a very difficult business. Organic agriculture is already difficult in Turkey; this is even harder. Rehabilitating and bringing these lands into agriculture is a matter of passion. Around 600 people from nearby villages are employed.”
He added that they prioritize rural development, organic agriculture, women’s employment, dry farming, and water resource conservation: “We will scale this model further in Turkey. We will start medicinal and aromatic plant production in Bayburt and Erzurum. We dry, blend, and export the harvested products. We export 100% of our production. Our largest market is Germany.”
“New investment will be operational in 2026”
Kitapçıoğlu stated that they have invested in a 70-decare facility in Dursunbey OSB, Balıkesir, to process organic plants into cosmetics and pharmaceutical raw materials: “We are building a facility that will extract oils with 99.9% purity from our organic medicinal and aromatic plants.”
He continued: “These oils will serve the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. We will use the latest global technology. We have ordered the machinery. Operations will begin in 2026. With raw materials from our own fields, we will produce much higher value-added products.”
“We will enter the functional food sector”
Highlighting new product developments, Kitapçıoğlu said: “We want to enter the functional food sector. By adding different flavors and supporting foods with medicinal and aromatic plants, we aim to make them more functional and beneficial for human health.”
He added: “For example, vitamin C enriched spicy paste, or bakla paste with organic melissa will be among our new functional products. Melissa has antidepressant effects; this makes it a functional food. In 2026, five new products will be on shelves. With new products and export-driven channels, we aim to take the company to a completely different level.”
He also emphasized R&D investments: “We have started revisions in production lines to increase automation and efficiency. At the same time, we will strengthen our R&D department and move toward becoming an R&D center. The sector and our country need this.”
He added that they have started investing in line with Turkey’s 2050 carbon neutrality goals: “We have begun constructing a 1 MW solar power plant that will cover 40% of our energy needs.”
“Okur Group is a long-established family company”
Kitapçıoğlu also provided information about Okur Group: “Okur Group is a family-owned company founded in 1939, now led by the fourth generation. The Okur family originally comes from Çaykara in Trabzon. They began their business life in Erzurum with a herbal products shop and later became distributors of major global brands in Turkey.”
He added: “Today, the Okur family owns Vepa, Agrokur, and Momwell brands. In 2007, they acquired the Vepa hair and toothbrush brand, a highly recognized brand. Our organic personal care brand Momwell was launched in 2023. Certified with Cosmos Organic, Momwell offers products free from chemicals, parabens, perfumes, and colorants.”
Source: DÜNYA – ISTANBUL
