“We are always by the side of our producers and partners. In this context, we will continue our production in our country without slowing down, with the century-old traditions, skills, and experiences of our company. Most importantly, we will work with all our strength to make our country one of the global routes in the sector by delivering the value-added products we produce in Turkey to many parts of the world.”
In a dynamic landscape where corporate legacy meets innovation, Trouw Nutrition Turkey, under the leadership of Gonca Altıntaş, stands at the forefront of Turkey’s feed industry. With a legacy rooted in over a century of expertise, Trouw Nutrition combines global leadership in animal nutrition with a deep commitment to local market dynamics. As Ms. Altıntaş articulates, “We are always by the side of our producers and partners,” a sentiment underscored by their recent strategic moves and steadfast dedication to sustainable practices.
Under Ms. Altıntaş’ leadership, Trouw Nutrition Turkey has embarked on a transformative journey, marked by the inauguration of a state-of-the-art production facility in Konya, embodying their resilience and forward-thinking approach. This strategic relocation not only enhances their production capabilities but also underscores their unwavering commitment to employee safety and operational excellence. Emphasizing their growth strategy, Ms. Altıntaş notes that they aim to expand their export potential while continuing to manufacture in Turkey, highlighting their pivotal role in advancing the country as a global hub in the feed industry.
As we explore this exclusive interview, Ms. Altıntaş shares insights into Trouw Nutrition Turkey’s strategic milestones, their role in shaping Turkey’s compound feed and feed additive markets, and their proactive stance on climate action. Below, you’ll find our conversation where we uncover how Trouw Nutrition Turkey navigates the complexities of modern agriculture, blending century-old heritage with cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of the global food chain.
When speaking of Trouw Nutrition, Nutreco brand immediately comes to mind. Could you provide our readers with a general overview of the company structure?
With over a century of expertise, Nutreco continues to lead globally in animal nutrition. At Trouw Nutrition, we are committed to innovation to help our customers raise healthy farm animals, operating under the Nutreco umbrella.
At Trouw Nutrition Turkey, we blend the global company’s extensive experience with a deep understanding of local market dynamics. Through our ‘farm to fork’ perspective, we are advancing our operations with products that gain increasing momentum each year in our country.
We are among the leading players in the Turkish livestock sector with our headquarters in Ankara, production facility in Konya, Logistics Center in Izmir, and a network of nearly 200 dealers nationwide. Within this scope, we specialize in producing vitamin and mineral premixes for ruminants, fish, poultry, and pet categories, as well as toxin binders. Under our Selko brand, we supply a range of specialized feed additives and are global producers of Calf milk replacers. Being part of Nutreco provides us a unique position and network, enabling us to forge strong partnerships in our industry. Committed to sustainability and innovation, we are steadily advancing towards our goal of being a solution partner in the sector. With our extensive product and service portfolio and growing expertise in feed, farming, and health, we serve as a comprehensive destination for tailored solutions that meet our customers’ needs. Alongside our high-quality product groups, our solution-oriented services contribute to the sustainable food chain quality in our country.
Dear Ms. Altıntaş, you started as the Turkey Operations Director at Trouw Nutrition in 2022, and within a year, you’ve assumed the role of Country Manager around this time last year. Could you tell us a bit more about yourself?
I graduated as an Honor Student from the Food Engineering department at Middle East Technical University. I began my career with internships at Unilever Margarine and Pınar Süt. Following that, I worked as a Production Supervisor at Lezzet Fabrikası for a year. I then served as the Quality Assurance Manager at ABA Hayvancılık A.Ş. Later, at Ülker Hero Baby, I initially held roles as a Quality Assurance Engineer and subsequently as Import, Export, and Procurement Manager. From 2014 to 2022, I progressed through roles including Supply Chain Manager, Supply Chain Director, and Supply Chain, SAP, and Internal Audit Manager at Durukan Şekerleme. In 2022, my journey led me to Trouw Nutrition, where I started as Turkey Operations Director and currently continue as Country Manager.
Can you please tell us about your accomplishments in the 2 years at Trouw Nutrition Turkey? What do you aim to accomplish in the near future?
My primary goal remains to continue producing value-added products and advancing the work of our local producers. We are tirelessly working towards this objective, optimizing our production capacity at our new facility. Similarly, in the short term, we aim to expand our export potential. While continuing to manufacture in our country and distribute globally, we are also exploring new market opportunities.
“OUR PRIORITY IS PEOPLE”
At the beginning of the year, you transitioned to a new facility in Konya with a capacity of 23,000 tons. As Feed Planet, we also had the opportunity to visit Konya in early June and engage in face-to-face meetings with major companies in our industry. Undoubtedly, Konya stands out as one of our leading industrial cities. Could you share with us the reasons behind this choice from your perspective?
Our decision was primarily driven by turning the Turkish market into a production hub due to its qualified workforce, geopolitical position, and high potential. We accelerated this change to take concrete steps and establish a more effective production mechanism for our growth strategy in the country. Additionally, there’s a security aspect to consider. Following significant earthquakes in Turkey, including in Çaycuma, Zonguldak where our factory was located, we conducted safety tests and promptly decided to close that facility to avoid compromising the safety of our employees. Because our priority is people. At Trouw Nutrition, we value our employees’ safety above all else. During this process, to sustainably serve our customers, we continued production with our own raw materials and production team in different locations. Following feasibility studies, we swiftly transitioned to our new production facility in Konya, which stands out for its flexible manufacturing capabilities, allowing us to operate with broader opportunities.
23,000 TON INSTALLED CAPACITY
Could we get more detailed information about your production facility? How will this facility enable Trouw Nutrition Turkey to address which needs in the sector for the region and the country? Are there any characteristic features of this facility in terms of technology that distinguish it from others?
I believe we’ve taken a significant step forward in our growth goals for Trouw Nutrition Turkey. Our factory in Konya, where production began earlier this year, stands as the first evidence of our growth strategy in Turkey. We anticipate that this important move will enhance our company’s dominance in the local market. Currently, the factory has a installed capacity of 23,000 tons, and we aim to fully utilize this capacity in the near future. Positioned in a much more advantageous location compared to our old factory in Çaycuma, this facility also provides us with significant logistical advantages. With its advanced infrastructure and automation technologies, we can fully control quality standards and production processes. Our goal is to elevate our production capabilities to the next level at this factory. Our system minimizes manual operations, enabling us to automate all machines in production and create a seamless end-to-end mechanism with remote access and control systems. At this facility, which produces crucial premixes and farm minerals for Turkish livestock, we have established a comprehensive, efficient, and rapid service network. We will continue our efforts at full speed to add value to both our brand and Turkey with every step we take, starting with this significant change.
FEED AND ADDITIVE MARKET, VITAL IMPORTANCE
How do you evaluate the current structure and future of Turkey’s compound feed and feed additive market?
Turkey holds a significant position in the agriculture and livestock sectors and the success largely depends on the feed industry. The compound feed and feed additive market constitute a crucial part of Turkey’s agricultural economy. The feed additive and feed industry is continuously evolving to increase livestock productivity and maintain animal health. The future of Turkey’s compound feed and feed additive market shows a positive growth trend, influenced by several factors. These include technological advancements, increasing investments in livestock, and export potential. Moreover, advancements in production techniques and feed formulations will continue to enhance the efficiency of the feed industry. Digitalization and automation, in particular, will optimize feed production processes and reduce costs. Sustainability and environmental approaches are also key to long-term success in the sector.
BOLD, ROBUST AND MEASURABLE CLIMATE GOALS
Can you provide information on the impacts of climate change on the agriculture and feed additive sectors? What preparations is Trouw Nutrition making in this regard?
The global industry giant Nutreco, with its 100 years of experience, continues its efforts tirelessly towards a better future with a sustainable food value chain approach. The 2025 Roadmap outlined in our parent company Nutreco’s 2021 Sustainability Report summarizes the path to be followed over the five years from 2020 to 2025 to create a more sustainable food system. This roadmap includes bold, robust, and measurable goals addressing issues such as reducing CO2 emissions, sustainable packaging, antimicrobial resistance, and waste reduction. As Trouw Nutrition Turkey, under the Nutreco umbrella, we also define sustainability as one of our most important strategic objectives, inspired by our company, and have been working tirelessly for 15 years to leave a sustainable world for future generations. While working for a sustainable food chain, we also place great importance on our planet. We are supporting the reduction of the carbon footprint in our country and aiming to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the coming period. Additionally, we place great emphasis on efforts to establish sustainable farms and production facilities.
Lastly, is there anything you would like to share with our readers who follow our magazine from all areas of the industry?
We are always by the side of our producers and partners. In this context, we will continue our production in our country without slowing down, with the century-old traditions, skills, and experiences of our company. Most importantly, we will work with all our strength to make our country one of the global routes in the sector by delivering the value-added products we produce in Turkey to many parts of the world.