The consumer goods giant entered the Turkish ice cream market 23 years ago, and it claims that its ice creams now account for a 70% share of the market. The factory, based in Konya, in the country’s Central Anatolia region, has annual production capacity of 80m litres, with the option to expand to 200m litres. It will employ about 300 people, and produce brands including Cornetto, Max and Twister.
Unilever chief supply chain officer Pier Luigi Sigismondi said: “Turkey is an important growth market for Unilever. …Konya has become our eighth manufacturing site in the country, as we continue to invest in growing our Turkish and regional business.”
He added that there was significant potential to expand the factory due to increasing domestic ice cream consumption, as well as opportunities to grow exports.
“We decided that Konya was the most suitable place for our investment for a number of reasons, such as access to raw materials, good infrastructure and logistics, the availability of qualified workers and lower earthquake risks, as well as and the good support of Konya’s local administration,” he said.
The plant, which is Unilever’s first ever LEED-certified ice cream factory, has been designed with sustainable practices in mind, reusing rain and surface water and recovering heat, and no hazardous waste will be sent to landfill from the site.