Ömer Kızıl spoke at the "Future of Global Opportunities" panel during the 7th Uludağ Economy Summit and stated that the secret of Uludağ Beverage, reaching out to over 40 countries in 5 continents, is their innovative approach and innovation investments.
The first day of the 7th Uludağ Economy Summit, for which many renowned economists as well as top CEOs and executives from national and international companies come together to talk about issues concerning both the globe and Turkey, was concluded. Ömer Kızıl, Uludağ Beverage Vice Chairman of the Board, participated as a speaker at the "Future of Global Opportunities" panel during the Summit and shared his suggestions for companies wishing to take part in the global arena in addition to Uludağ Beverage's plans for expanding further abroad.
Stating that Uludağ Beverage has never once sacrificed from their "innovation" and "quality" missions for over a century, Ömer Kızıl said they steered the beverage industry and added: "We are breaking grounds domestically and internationally, and we lead the new categories we created through innovation. Turkey's first packaged lemonade is the most significant example to this end. We are not limiting ourselves to our own sector only. Created last year to add value to natural mineral water, Uludağ Premium Skin Care Spray, which is the skin care spray with the widest product range in Turkey, proved our ambition to succeed in different fields. In addition, we only use sugar beet in our products and are the largest national beverage company that does not use starch-based sugar. One of our secrets, of course, is our technological infrastructure that is constantly upgraded. For instance, our water treatment system is unparalleled." Kızıl remarked that innovation provided them an opportunity to go beyond the limits. "Uludağ Beverage offer its products to customers in over 40 countries in 5 continents as the biggest and most well-established beverage company in Turkey. Today, you can find Uludağ Beverage products at almost every grocery store in Germany. Exports provide 20% of our annual turnover."
Kızıl underlined that an innovative approach to R&D, production, marketing and sales was quite significant while expanding towards global markets and that localization and understanding the needs of the consumers in target market were key. "The underlying element for our success is closely following what a country's taste preferences are and where the trends are heading to. For instance, we produced Uludağ Lemonade, Turkey's first packaged lemonade, with a special carbonation for Germany as it is better suited for the local customer taste. The key point is to conduct research to understand the customers and the market you are planning on expanding and to make predictions based on significant data."
