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Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry e-Newsletter - Issue: 8 - January 2011 View our profile on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook

GALA BANNER

Dear TACCI Member & Friend: 

We are excited to be almost a month away from the biggest event of the year: TACCI Annual Gala which will be held at the New York Athletic Club, on Thursday, February 24. We are expecting to have a night to remember, with 200+ guests. You can find more detailed information about this elegant event. We are looking forward to seeing you there! 

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry

IN THIS ISSUE
Exclusive Interview: Mr. Ercan Karabeyoglu of Gulluoglu USA
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Coming to an End?
New York's Next Taxi Cab: Turkish?
TACCI Director's Visit to Turkiye

Exclusive: Gulluoglu Celebrates 3rd NYC Store

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Photo: Courtesy of TurkishNY.com


 

gulluoglu

TACCI Member Mr. Ercan Karabeyoglu of Gulluoglu was interviewed about their success in the US, as an all-Turkish brand, feeding NYC with signature desserts & pastries, as well as Turkish coffee.

Interview by Gulsun Turkmenogullari for TACCI

 

-Mr. Karabeyoglu, how did you decide to introduce Gulluoglu in the US? Were you already living here before Gulluoglu started?

I was here before Gulluoglu started. I settled in the USA 30 years ago. I have been working in food industry since 1985. I have been frequently traveling back and forth, keeping up with my work in Turkiye. I was importing Turkish goods, consulting with the FDA approvals here. I have a lot of experience in this industry. I was the main distributor of very prominent Turkish products such as Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (Turkish Coffee) and packed products of Gulluoglu. We have been distributing preserved Gulluoglu products like Turkish delight, pismaniye and vacuumed baklava.

-How did you go from distributing to cafes?

After years of bilateral trust and friendship with the Gulluoglu family, we became accustomed to each other's businesses.  Gulluoglu is a strictly family-owned enterprise. We are working with the eldest brother Nejat Gullu. Not only internationally but also in Turkiye, we are the first and only branch that is not owned by a member of the family.

-How many shops do you have?

We started out with Brooklyn four years ago, our Manhattan store is around a year old and now we are preparing to open our third store in Astoria by mid January. (Editor's note: The store is open currently)

-How do you produce the products in here?

All the baklavas, yufkas (Turkish phyllo dough) and many of the pastries come from Turkiye, from the main production unit of Gulluoglu in Kagithane, Istanbul. They are totally genuine and no different than what you have in Turkiye. All the products are fresh-frozen right after they are produced and transferred to here. They don't lose their texture and flakiness not even a bit due to the advancement of freezing process. We often joke about the products being fresher than the ones sold in Istanbul because they wait at the shelf for less time here than in Istanbul.

-How about the pastries?

Simit (Turkish sesame-bagels) and milky desserts are produced here, some of the cakes are baked here, some come from Turkiye.

-Your business appears on many websites. How do you feel about this?

We appear in Urban Spoon, Yelp and many other rating sites. We have very good ratings in many of these places. We have appeared in New York Times, New York magazine, food magazines. We don't pay special efforts to do so, but we are glad they they notice us.

-What kind of difficulties have you had in this business?

Our biggest obstacle is being a well-known brand back home. When you run a well-known brand, everybody expects the best from you.  Any random cafe would not have such troubles. The expectations are formed out of excellence and they are rightful.

-What is the most surprisingly demanded product here?

I have never known that Turkish coffee was such a demanded product before we started. Almost every person walking into the store orders Turkish coffee. I always emphasize that our products are 100% Turkish. Doner is different than Gyro; Coban Salad is different than Greek salad.

-How is the profile of your usual customer base?

Very interestingly we have lots of foreign and local customers frequently coming in. Although it is Turkish oriented some of the time, it is mostly a wide mixture.  It is more like United Nations in a sense. Now there is a strong anticipation towards our opening in Astoria. People are stopping by to ask when we will be opening all the time.

-Are there any special occasions?

People know our products from Turkiye, from Greece. There are many surprising occasions that make us proud. For example; The pastor of the church nearby came and said that they used to buy baklava from Turkiye all the time, now they don't need to; the baklava has come to them. Very recently Trump had a reception for 100 people, they insisted on our baklava. Many of our Greek friends sent our baklava instead of Greek baklava in their Christmas gift baskets. Our desserts show up in any Turkish reception. A very recent one of them is Muhtar Kent's (Turkish CEO of the Coca Cola Company) home reception.

-How much do you sell daily?

You never know. Usually a lot.

-How long have you been a TACCI member?

I have started with Gulluoglu. My business partner got involved first, I guess. Then I took over the activities. Our membership is as old as Gulluoglu is.

-What do you think about the activities of TACCI so far?

I think everything carried out here is very rewarding to business owners and the Turkish community. My main concern is that I can't spare enough time for meetings and events. I hope I will have more time to attend such functions in the upcoming year. This is a great occasion to reach out to new places, and to meet people to enhance ones business.

-Thank you for your time Mr. Karabeyoglu. Hope you have a wonderful year!

It was my pleasure.

 

Visit TACCI Member GULLUOGLU's Website to find out about the products/locations


Exporting to US? Here are the Latest Changes in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)

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TACCI Member Attorney Ms. Sule �ktenay Akyuz answers the frequently asked questions about the GSP System

 

- Will trade benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) end on December 31, 2010?

The statute that governs GSP states that duty-free treatment provided under the GSP shall not remain in effect after December 31, 2010. The U.S. Congress considered legislation in December 2010 to extend authorization of GSP beyond this date but ultimately adjourned without taking action to extend GSP. As a result, imports of GSP products from GSP beneficiary countries arriving in the United States on or after January 1, 2011, will be subject to regular, Normal Trade Relations duties. However, GSP-eligible imports from beneficiary countries of the African Growth and Opportunity Act will continue to be eligible for duty-free entry.

- When will Congress extend authorization of GSP? Does the Administration support extension of GSP?

It is not known at this point whether or when the new Congress will extend GSP, but many Members of Congress have voiced strong support for the GSP program. The Obama Administration supports congressional action to extend the GSP program and is working with Congress toward this end. The Administration supports the longest extension that Congress sees fit to make, so as to provide greater certainty for both U.S. businesses and developing country exporters who benefit from these programs. 

- Has GSP expired in the past? Will benefits be made retroactive if and when the programs are reauthorized?

The last time authorization of the GSP program lapsed was in 2001. Congress subsequently reauthorized the program ten months later. Between 1993 and 2002 the program expired seven times with lapses that varied between one and 15 months. Each renewal during this period was made retroactive to the expiration of the program. At this point, it is not known if any future reauthorization of GSP will be made retroactive. 

- Will other preference programs, including AGOA, continue if GSP expires?

Yes. Product coverage under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), and the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), includes GSP-eligible tariff lines. Imports under these programs will not be affected by the lapse in GSP's authorization.

- What will be the economic impact of the expiration of GSP?

The longer the GSP program is not operational the greater the impact will be on the competitiveness of the thousands of American businesses that rely on the duty-exemption these programs provide. Loss of GSP would also deal an economic blow to many of the developing countries that befit from the program, including many of the poorest countries in the world.

- If GSP is reauthorized retroactively, how will the refunds be processed?

In the past, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has arranged for the timely processing of refunds of duties deposited on GSP-eligible entries without requiring further action by the filer. The use of the special programs indicators (SPI), "A" or "A+", on CBP Form 7501 has constituted the importer's request for a refund of duties. For

further information on securing refunds, see CBP's website, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml, as well as the following link: http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/csms.asp

- What will be the impact of GSP expiration on ongoing reviews of GSP country and product petitions?

While GSP authorization is not in effect, there will be no public hearings and no requests for public comments on ongoing GSP country and product petitions, including petitions for waivers of competitive need limitations. Nor will there be official announcements with respect to final disposition of these petitions.

 

Sule �ktenay Akyuz Attorney

 Arent Fox LLP | Attorneys at Law

1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC  20036-5339

202.828-3421 DIRECT | 202.857.6395 FAX

The Winner will be revealed soon: Turkish Karsan to take over New York traffic?

Karsan of Turkiye, has successfully made it to the top 3 along with Ford and Nissan, to win the chance to become the manifacturer of New York City's future taxi cab, with its excellent design and technical features. TACCI e-Newsletter has been covering the news on this issue for the last couple months, and right now we are very close to the moment of truth!

karsan



The glass-roofed Karsan V1, the only design not based on a pre-existing vehicle. Created by Karsan (the company builds vehicles for Fiat and Hyundai), the V1 is also the only car in the running that is completely wheelchair accessible (it has a wheelchair ramp).

The management of the New York City has decided to divide with symbols - taxis Crown Victoria and replace them with more economical models. Currently in metropolis have around 13,200 licensed taxis, most of which are large sedans Ford Crown Victoria. In a contest involving many automotive companies, from which were selected three finalists - Karsan Otomotiv V1, Ford Transit Connect and Nissan NV200. Turkish company Karsan Otomotiv and her taxi car - V1, are one of the most serious favorite to win the contest. The main reason is that the Turkish vehicle is suitable for people with disabilities, and has a panoramic glass roof with that travelers will be able to view the sights of the city. From Nissan do not fall back and promise an all-electric zero-emission version of its NV200. Ford does have the most significant traditions, and is only USA Company in final. It is not yet known whether the contest will broadcast only one winner. Now in New York have 16 model taxis delivered from 9 different manufacturers. The new taxis of New York will become clearer in early February 2011, and their work will start later in 2014.

Karsan V1 will be revealed to public on February 1-2 in New York City, for the first time!

 

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE BY KARSAN USA


TURKISH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF NYC WISHES BEST OF LUCK TO KARSAN!

 

TACCI Director's Visit to Turkiye

TACCI Director Safak Dogan visited Turkiye last month, where he had the chance to meet representatives of several members and solution partners of TACCI. 

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Ms. Fusun Karacasoy, Head of International
Economic Relations Department of TOBB
Ankara - Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB)
TOBB Foreign Eco. Relations Dept. Director Ms. Fusun Karacasoy
TOBB Foreign Eco. Relations Dept.  Associate Expert Ms. Deniz Yalcin

kso
Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KSO) President Mr. Ayhan Zeytinoglu received the TACCI Membership Certificate for KSO
Kocaeli - Chamber of Industry
President Mr. Ayhan Zeytinoglu (TACCI Board Member)
Project and Investments Dept Chief Mr. Egemen Mert
Corporate Relations Dept Chief Ms. Ozlem Akyurek
berrin
US Commercial Service Specialist Ms. Berrin Erturk

Izmir - Chamber of Commerce
Vice Chairman of the Executive Board Mr. Jak Eskenazi
Chief of International Events Mr. Resat Ugur Karacan (former TACCI Director)
Chief of Eco. Relations Division Ms. Pinar Baris Karayilanoglu

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NY State Representative in Istanbul Ms. Ally Gunduz
Istanbul
Mr. Engin Tuncer (Representing TACCI Member Company "Eyup Sabri Tuncer")
NY State Rep. in Istanbul Ms. Ally Gunduz
TOBB-DEIK Regional Coordinator (incl North America) Ms. Asli Ozelli and Assistant Coordinator Ms. Merih Kepez 
TOBB World Turkish Business Council Director Ms. Asena Selcuk

EVENTS & LINKS


The Turkish American National Leadership Conference

Empowering Turkish Americans, March 17-19, 2011, Washington, DC

www.ataa.org

 

Foods of Turkey: A guide to experiencing Turkish Cuisine

 

Free GuideStar Webinar: Ten Predictions for the Next Ten Years

February 9, 2011, 1 pm

WEBSITE LINK

 

A Comprehensive Report about Turkiye by United World USA

"TURKEY: A Global Contender" 

(pdf)

 

Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Event Calendar

 

Free Seminar by Edward Jones: The Entrepreneurial Equation 

January 27, 2011 8:30 am, Brooklyn Business Library, 280 Cadaman Plaza West, Brooklyn, NY 11201 - call 718-522-6254

 

TUSIAD-US and TCA Now Accepting Applications for Summer Internship Program on Capitol Hill - Info 

 

OUR PREMIUM MEMBERS 2010-2011

 

kismet   

 



TACCI COMPLETE MEMBER LIST & PROFILES