In 1944, Sabri Ülker, a 24-year-old whose family fled to Turkey from Communist troops in Crimea, opened a small bakery in Istanbul. His goal then was to produce 250 kilos (550 pounds) of biscuits a day.

Sixty-four years on, the company he founded, Ülker, is Turkey’s largest chocolate and biscuits producer, with exports to more than 100 countries, 29,300 employees and $9.1bn in sales last year.