LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Chobani upon the occasion of its desig-
nation by the New York State Agricultural Society as recipient of its
Business of the Year Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend the achievements of individuals, organizations, and businesses
which contribute substantially to the economic health and vitality of
the communities of the great State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Chobani upon the occasion of its designation by the New York State Agri-
cultural Society as recipient of its Business of the Year Award; and
WHEREAS, The Business of the Year Award was developed to promote New
York State's food system and to recognize the quality, leadership and
innovation demonstrated by New York agribusinesses; and
WHEREAS, Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, came to the United States
from Turkey in 1994 to further his education; it did not take him long,
however, to recognize a gap in America's dairy offerings; and
WHEREAS, Hamdi Ulukaya's first venture was a feta cheese company but,
in 2005, he set his sights on yogurt; with the help of a loan, he
purchased a shuttered plant in Central New York and started the company
with just five employees; and
WHEREAS, It took Hamdi Ulukaya nearly two years to perfect the recipe
and process for what would become known as Chobani, from the Turkish
word for shepherd; in the five years since the first cup of Chobani hit
shelves, the company has grown from a start-up with five employees to a
global organization with a workforce more than 1,800 strong; and
WHEREAS, Chobani is not just the most popular Greek yogurt in America,
it is the number one selling yogurt brand in the United States; the
company is also a proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team; and
WHEREAS, By recognizing the opportunity to bring high-quality, authen-
tic dairy products to consumers in a mass way, Chobani has effectively
transformed the United States yogurt category and sent longtime industry
leaders scrambling to catch up; and
WHEREAS, All the while, Chobani has never lost sight of its original
goal which is to make honestly-positioned, high-quality, fairly-priced
products so everyone, regardless of income or geographic location, can
have access to good yogurt; and
WHEREAS, Chobani has had a profound impact in Central New York, with
the creation of more than 1,400 jobs in Chenango County; it has also had
a large impact on New York's dairy industry; Chobani's South Edmeston
facility is currently the largest dairy processing plant in the State of
New York, receiving an average of 4.2 million pounds of milk, roughly 70
tanker loads, per day; and
WHEREAS, It takes 700 farms, and approximately 60,000 cows, to meet
Chobani's current demand for milk; this demand has created jobs, approx-
imately 1,000 on-farm jobs and an additional 7,000 in agricultural-re-
lated industries; and
WHEREAS, Chobani recently opened a second United States production
facility in Twin Falls, Idaho; comprised of nearly one million square
feet, this state-of-the-art facility is the world's largest yogurt
production plant and, by the middle of 2013, will employ approximately
400 people; and
WHEREAS, It is the practice of this Legislative Body that when the
accomplishments of businesses such as Chobani are brought to our atten-
tion it is appropriate to publicly proclaim and commend them and their
owners and employees for their outstanding professional behavior, corpo-

rate innovation, and commitment and service to their community; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Chobani upon the occasion of its designation by the New York State
Agricultural Society as recipient of its Business of the Year Award; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder of Chobani.