Company Profile

As the first modern candy manufacturing facility in Turkey, Kent also pioneered the chewing gum industry in Turkey by expanding its product range to include chewing gum in 1960, and entered the chocolate industry in the early 80's with a limited chocolate line. By then, Kent had two factories in Istanbul and one in Gebze, Kocaeli, manufacturing a wide range of products in candy, gum and chocolate. In 1983 Birlik was established to handle the marketing and distribution of Kent products throughout Turkey. Kent went public in 1990, offering 15% of its shares on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
 

By 2000, Kent consolidated the three factories into one state of the art facility in Gebze, Kocaeli. The high quality innovative products manufactured in this factory have been exported to over 100 countries around the world. The potential in these markets have led Kent to search for growth opportunities in the international markets. In 2001, this search resulted in the establishment of a 50%-50% joint venture with the Spanish lollypop manufacturer Chupa-Chups in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The partnership agreement between Kent and Cadbury Schweppes was signed on February 21, 2002 in London Cadbury Schweppes acquired 51 % equity interest in Kent together with a majority equity interest in its distribution arm Birlik from the Tahincioğlu family.

Today, as the leader of the domestic confectionery market in Turkey, Kent is continuing to grow in the international arena to become a world player.