Turkish tanner goes ahead with gelatine project
Following announcements earlier this year that Turkish tanners were investing in gelatine, Tuzla-based leather producer Uyguner Deri has announced that gelatine production has already begun at a factory it has set up.
Extensive gelatine production from pig-skins is well established in Europe and North America, but demand for gelatine from bovine sources has increased from the food industry in Muslim countries.
To help meet this demand, Uyguner Deri has worked with specialist partner Gelner Gida to build a new gelatine factory. The new facility covers 22,000 square-metres and will have the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of gelatine per year. The combined investment in the project was $6 million.
Chief executive, Burak Uyguner, said the partners expect to export 80% of the gelatine the factories produce. He said the edible gelatine market was worth $4 billion per year. Mr Uyguner is the current president of the Turkish Leather Industry Association.
