Half a Century with Hazelnuts:
A Story of Responsibility

If God grants me life, in two years I will have completed exactly half a century intertwined with hazelnuts. This journey, which began with a one-person company we established in Germany to earn money as a university student with no connection to the Black Sea region or hazelnuts, has reached a point today that is actually not bad at all.

Pioneering Technology and Innovation

For the past 50 years, our perspective has been not just about cracking the shell of the hazelnut, but about processing it to the highest possible degree to create added value, and in return, we are rewarded with more than 8 world patents today.

Furthermore, with our BEST Program, we are proud to lead the way in finding solutions to address the shortcomings of modern agriculture in our country.

A Global Brand: BALSU

Today, BALSU ranks among the world's leading companies in its sector, thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities, processing capacity, and quality management. Through customer relationships built on trust since 1978, we have become the number one choice for the world's most prestigious chocolate and confectionery manufacturers.

Having chaired numerous organizations for many years, from the Istanbul Exporters' Association (İİB) to the international INC (International Nut and Dried Fruit Council), we have waged a serious struggle for Turkish hazelnuts.

However, throughout this 50-year period, our biggest struggle has been certain structural flaws that we have constantly tried to explain:

Structural Challenges

Due to the inadequacy of modern farming techniques and orchard scale, our average yield is far behind that of our global competitors.

Unwavering determination to find solutions in the face of challenges is BALSU's greatest driving force. We will not give up.

Social Responsibility and Ethical Agriculture

Beyond being one of the companies with the largest turnover in the sector, we are also thankfully pioneers in our social responsibility projects.

We are staunch advocates for the end of child labor. Through our projects spanning over a decade, we have helped tens of thousands of children live better lives.

In our country, where there are more than 460,000 producers, we have launched the 0 traceability journey for hazelnuts.

This initiative will both elevate quality to the highest level and be our most effective weapon in ending child labor.

Global Strength and New Horizons

Chile Expansion: In Chile, considered a leader among competing countries, we have made our mark on the global hazelnut trade, which is now becoming less seasonal, by establishing the most important processing facility there as of this month.

Public Offering and Responsibility: We are aware that by going public, our responsibility has increased exponentially. For us, success is not a place to rest, but a stepping stone to continuous progress.

Strategic Innovation: We have achieved a world first by producing activated carbon from hazelnut shells under our HENDEX brand, a product of strategic importance to our country. We plan to make our first deliveries this year to meet domestic market demand, as well as to begin exporting.