Hurriyet – Consumer products giant Unilever’s Turkish unit has broken ground for a food production plant in the Central Anatolian province of Konya. To be built at a cost of USD 100 million, the plant belonging to Unilever’s ice-cream brand Algida will serve as a production base for markets in the Middle East and Africa as well as boosting the company’s domestic market share.
The second Algida plant in Türkiye, 35th in the world, is scheduled to enter production in May 2013, according to Unilever Türkiye’s chief executive officer, Izzet Karaca. “The plant will be the first LEED-certified ice-cream factory, upholding to the highest standards of environmental-friendly production techniques..”, Karaca said. The Konya plant will be Unilever’s 8th plant in Türkiye and will employ about 300 people once operational. The global food, cosmetics and personal hygiene products company expects EUR 1.2 billion (Approx. USD 1.7 billion) of sales in Türkiye this year.
“The great progress taking place in Anatolia is closely watched and supported by Unilever as witnessed with the groundbreaking of this production plant in Konya..” Karaca said. “This investment sets a very good example of trust and confidence in Türkiye and creates a convincing case for other foreign investors..” he remarked.
Unilever exports its Turkish-produced goods to 31 countries and Türkiye is one of the key regional management centers of the multinational consumer goods company.