We’ve come a long way from our humble roots, but we still operate like the small craft company we started out as.
In 2005, Hamdi took a loan from the Small Business Administration, bought an old yogurt plant, and brought a small group of passionate individuals together to make the real, wholesome yogurt that he remembered from his childhood. He called the company Chobani, “shepherd” in Turkish, to endow it with the hard-working and compassionate spirit of the mountain farmer.
For the next two years, Hamdi devoted himself to the craft, carefully building his team to ensure quality from the ground up. In 2007, his dream to make delicious, nutritious, natural, and accessible yogurt finally came to fruition, when the very first cup of Chobani® Greek Yogurt hit the shelf.
By 2010, Chobani had grown from one man’s dream into America’s favorite Greek Yogurt. Through your support, we were able to break ground on a new, state-of-the-art yogurt factory in Twin Falls, Idaho, and form a charitable arm for the company. In 2016, our 2014 creation, Chobani® Flip®, was recognized as a Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Award winner. And in 2017, Chobani opened its third café, and first outside of New York City, in the Houston area.
In the years between our founding and now, we’ve been recognized numerous times for being a great place to work. In 2016, we introduced Chobani Shares, an initiative to give every full-time member of the company the opportunity to share in the growth of Chobani over time. And in 2017, we implemented a new paid parental leave policy, offering 100% paid parental leave for six weeks for all full-time hourly and salaried employees.
2018 marks 10 years of great yogurt and the community that grew up around it. We will continue to grow and change, but our roots will remain embedded in our founding mission: bringing better food to more people. Thank you for giving us the chance to grow.
After moving to New York from his native Turkey, Hamdi found that in America, yogurt just wasn’t as delicious or widely available as it was back home. He believed everyone deserved better options, so he set about making delicious, nutritious, natural, and accessible Greek Yogurt right here in the U.S. In the 10 years since he sold his first cup of yogurt, Chobani’s mission has grown and evolved, and his small yogurt company has become the powerful force for good that he always hoped it would be.
Through our initiatives, we give back to our communities and empower our employees to volunteer.
The spark that started the Chobani journey is still alive and well. From giving our employees stock in our company, to dreaming up new products for our supporters, we have never stopped innovating.
We believe in honest food made the right way. Our mission is to bring high-quality yogurt to more people and create positive change in our country’s food culture.
The Chobani Incubator, Chobani Foundation, and our sustainability initiatives are pushing the future of food forward, and challenging what it means to be a major player in the industry.
Learn moreOur company was founded with the goal of starting a new food movement in the U.S., and we continue to work towards that mission. We’d love to have you join us.
Learn moreFor information on all our products, please visit our Chobani Care page at care.chobani.com.