Charlotte Chamber Board of Advisors meeting that it will locate its
sales headquarters in Charlotte. The 5,200 square foot office will be
located in the Charlotte Plaza building in Uptown Charlotte.
The company was born with an SBA loan, and in less than five years has
grown into a $700 million business. The company, headquartered in New
York's Chenango County, was founded in 2005 by 40-year old Hamdi
Ulukaya, who was born and raised in Turkey. He launched Chobani in
2007 with the vice president of sales, Kyle O'Brien. The pair decided
on the name Chobani after a three-hour, snowy drive to buy a piece of
production equipment. Chobani means shepherd, a symbol of safety and
good, in several Mediterranean languages. It now tops the booming
Greek yogurt segment, which grew 200 percent last year, along with the
larger yogurt category.
"Chobani's decision to locate its sales headquarters in Charlotte is
proof positive that businesses from all industries see the competitive
advantage our city provides," said Bob Morgan, Charlotte Chamber
president. "We expect great things to come from Chobani, and applaud
them for their rapid rise to one of the country's most lucrative
yogurt brands."
Chobani currently has 17 employees in Charlotte. With the new sales
headquarters and room to grow, the company anticipates accelerated
hiring and to potentially reach 60 employees in Charlotte by the end
of 2013. The average salary for the new positions is $70,000.
