The Chobani effect in the refugee crisis

If you asked who one of the heroes at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos was, I would say Hamdi Ulukaya, who was able to make the yogurt brand "Chobani," which he founded in the U.S. in 2007 and became the fastest growing company in history.

Ulukaya, who has made a fortune of $1.4 billion in a couple of years, was in Davos not only as a successful businessperson, but as a sensitive person looking for a remedy through the foundation he formed for the 60 million refugees in the world.

Meanwhile, readers would remember that, it must have been a couple of years ago, I criticized in a piece about Chobani that Ulukaya publicized his brand as "Greek yogurt." I had a point; yogurt is a Turkish-origin word and all other languages use it. It is believed to have originated from Central Asia and it is an indispensable part of Turkish cuisine.

I had an opportunity to talk to Ulukaya in Davos but it did not cross my mind to ask him why he promoted his product as "Greek yogurt." The reason was that Ulukaya has put his heart on the "refugee" matter, which was very much in the forefront. 

Ulukaya declared he would give a major part of his fortune to The Giving Pledge founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. He also set up his own foundation, Tent, to reach out to refugees.

Whenever he finds the opportunity, he has spoken face-to-face with refugees in several places. One of them was a Yazidi girl he has been able to save from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). A photo of this Yazidi girl is on his cell phone.

Meanwhile, British businessperson and Virgin owner Richard Branson wrote his in his blog:

"Chobani's CEO said 'businesses and innovators have a critical role to play' in ending the refugee crisis....