Since 1962: the Tefenlili family’s journey in nuts

The Altıntop story began more than sixty years ago in Denizli, when one man went into business. Today it continues at a 12,000 m² facility in Gümüşler, and it is also the story of a family’s work passed down from one generation to the next. In this article we take a brief look at the key milestones of that journey.

A small shop in Kaleiçi

Our founder Veli Tefenlili started out in trade in 1962. In 1966–1967, leblebi (roasted chickpeas) went on sale in a small shop in Kaleiçi, Denizli. In those days everything was done by hand and products were weighed on scales. That shop was the first step of a journey that now reaches customers in Türkiye and abroad.

In 1970 Veli Tefenlili was joined in the business by his sons İbrahim, Ramazan and Hakkı Tefenlili, and the business entered a new era as a family company. In 1976 the family took its first step from leblebi production into the nut trade with a retail shop.

In those years, the foundation of the business was a close relationship with customers. Being a shop the neighbourhood knew and trusted, and putting the same carefully roasted products on the counter every day, laid the groundwork for growth.

Industrialisation and new markets

1989 marked a turning point: the business moved into a facility with 3,000 m² of covered space, which is still in operation today. This step from shop to factory took production to an industrial scale.

In the years that followed, growth continued on several fronts:

• 2000: exports began, opening up new markets.
• 2004: a fleet of 50 vehicles was set up to strengthen direct van sales.
• 2005: distribution warehouses were opened in Aydın and Muğla to deliver fresh products to consumers.
• 2009: a new building investment brought the production facility to 12,000 m².
• 2010: the machinery was expanded with a new roaster with a capacity of 2 tonnes an hour.

Altıntop today

Today Altıntop has a 125-strong team at its facility in Gümüşler, with a roasting capacity of 50 tonnes and a packing capacity of 600,000 packs a day. Through our branches in Antalya, Aydın, Denizli, İstanbul and Muğla we reach retail points, serving customers in Türkiye and abroad. Our food safety management system is certified by CSQA and IQNet.

Our range has grown along the way: from Çıtır sunflower seeds to pistachios, from Shots peanuts to the raw hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts and dried apricots of the Dalından series, and from bulk products to Turkish coffee, many products now carry the Altıntop name on the shelves.

What hasn’t changed

Machines, buildings and capacities have changed over the years. What hasn’t changed is the heart of the work: sourcing good raw materials at source, roasting with care and delivering to consumers as fresh as on the first day. The patience and care of that small leblebi shop in Kaleiçi live on in every pack we make.