Hamdi Ulukaya
Greek yogurt · Norwich, New York
Net worth
$11.6B
Today
$00.00%Past month
+$830M+7.74%As of Nov 11, 2026, 1:50 PM EST
Hamdi Ulukaya, known as the yogurt king, is the founder of America's most popular Greek yogurt brand, Chobani. Ulukaya grew up in a Kurdish dairy-farming family in Turkey and raised sheep. He eventually left to study political science at Ankara University. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1994 to study English in upstate New York, an area that reminded him of the small farming villages in Eastern Turkey. With a loan from the Small Business Administration, he bought an old yogurt plant there in 2005 and developed a recipe inspired by his heritage. He started selling his yogurt in 2007; in 2023, Chobani pulled in more than $2 billion in sales.
Net worth over time
Principal holdings
1 positions| Company | Industry | Share | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Private holdings | Food & Beverage | 100.0% | $11.6B |
Also known for
- In January 2018, Ulukaya married Louise Vongerichten, daughter of world-renowned French chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. The couple welcomed a son later that year.
- Refugees and immigrants, who make up 30% Chobani's workforce, are offered English language classes as well as translators in up to 11 languages.
“You cannot do everything alone--especially when you get to a certain level. It is impossible.”