Name: Meysa
Business: Syrian Health Foods
Cohort: 3rd Cohort, Mersin
Home Country: Syria
Meysa Umayir left Syria for Turkey with her family four years ago and quickly learned Turkish and earned a chemical engineering degree from the local university. However, Meysa was intrigued by the food sector and was looking to start a business venture, which led her to join the LIFE Project.
The LIFE Project allowed Meysa to take her idea – developing healthy versions of traditional Syrian dishes – and build a business model around it. For her, courses offered by the LIFE Project on topics such as pricing, business registration in Turkey, and marketing provided a foundation upon which she could start and expand her business within the Turkish market. Additionally, access to the commercial kitchen at the LIFE Project facilities in Mersin was valuable because it cut down on many of the expenses often required for start-up food businesses.
The confidence that the LIFE Project gave her led her to compete in her cohort’s Business Pitch Competition and win! For Meysa, the positive feedback she received from the Turkish judges in the competition motivated her to start researching how to market her products to a Turkish audience. Now, as Meysa continues to work on her food business, the LIFE Project has been a valuable resource to advise her on financial or regulatory matters crucial to launching a business in Turkey.
For entrepreneurs looking to launch a food business in Turkey, Meysa advises them to “just start, even if it’s at the lowest cost…because otherwise ideas will not be implemented.”
Are you interested in Mayas’s story or see potential in her business as an investor? Email the LIFE Project to be connected at [email protected].