Whether you are a baklava-fan or not, you must admit that it is a difficult dish to make. To be a baklava-maker, you have to be strong, speedy and prepared to work late at night. Nejat Gullu, the owner of Gulluoğlu-the leading brand of baklava-is just such a baklava-crazed person. His great-grandfather Gullu Çelebi established the company in 1871 when he brought the desert he had seen in Damascus to Gaziantep. His grandson created baklava as we know it today-layers and layers of thin pastry. In 1949, Nejat Gullu's father Mustafa Gullu brought baklava to Istanbul. In 2001, Nejat Gullu opened a factory that now exports to England, Holland, the US, Germany and Greece among others. Gullu's latest plan is franchising.
What are some of the innovations in your factory?
It is 700m2. The first floor manufactures Turkish Delight, the other baklava and 'su börek'. We also have the world's only baklava lab! We have made some revolutionary innovations like cutting the baklava and sprinkling the pistachios automatically. We hope to get a HACCP certification soon. The HACCP certifies that that the critical points of food production are done correctly. We have zero room for error. We make sure that the pastry is thin and the pistachios are evenly distributed.
Why is baklava so difficult to make?
It is hard to get the pastry so thin. You have to adjust the sugar and dough according to the weather. We follow the weather carefully. The process can never be fully automated. Technology cannot make thin pastry! Our pastry is 10 microns thick. It takes human strength to do this. You have to spread the pistachio very evenly. The worst part of it is that we work all night!
Do you work at night as well?
I came to work at midnight for nearly 50 years. Now I've passed the baton to my son Fatih. We have to have a manager overseeing the work to make sure it goes perfectly. If just one worker makes a mistake, it ruins the whole chain.
Are you living your childhood dream?
I always dreamed of running a place like this. Now I do.
You are going to produce frozen baklava?
That's correct. We export vacuum-packed baklava. But it is not as fresh as ready-baked baklava. We want to set up franchises around the world. Our cold air warehouse will open in March. Our first franchise might open in Dubai. www.gulluoglu.com
1 comment:
What a baklava you have shared it's just awesome. And one great content you shared for baklava. I always used to eat this and my most favorite one is baklava with pistachio and you believe or not my only 15 years daughter learned all the recipe to make this baklava and now she can make this very perfectly.
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