17 Mar 2026
Elazığ Meets 70% of Turkey's Needs.
YABAŞ: WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 75-80 EMPLOYEES
Fethi Ahmet Yabaş, Chairman of the Board of Soyplas Packaging Company, stated that they started operating in Elazığ in 2013, saying: "As a native of Elazığ, we established Soyplas Packaging in the Elazığ Organized Industrial Zone in 2013 to invest in our hometown. After dealing with construction-related works, we started production in 2014. We began with baler nets, shade nets, and pallet nets. Since 2014, we have increased capacity every year and started producing varieties such as bubble wrap and packaging nylon. We export our baler net, pallet net, and shade net products to many European countries. We sell approximately 50-60% of our products abroad. We generally started the bubble wrap and straw groups for the domestic market. When we started production in 2014, we had 5 employees; now we have 60 employees, plus 15 personnel supported through İŞKUR. In total, we have 75-80 employees."
YABAŞ: 80% OF THE STRAWS USED COME FROM ELAZIG
Realizing the shortage in straw production in Turkey, Fethi Ahmet Yabaş said, "We started straw production in 2017 and currently have the largest capacity in Turkey. Since we were wholesaling in the packaging sector, we felt a gap in straw supply. Generally, productions from China and Bulgaria were coming as imports. Seeing this, we conducted research and invested. After a while, we increased capacity to become one of the largest producers in Turkey. Our products are in major national markets, and we have the capacity to meet almost 70-80% of Turkey's straw needs. Tourism plays a major role in Turkey, with Antalya being the most significant spot. Almost 80% of the straws used in Antalya are ours."
Starting with 5 people, the company now employs 75. Elazığ dominates the Turkish market in straw production, where manual labor is intensive. YABAŞ: WE DOMINATED TURKEY AND RECENTLY STARTED EXPORTS. Fethi Ahmet Yabaş added: "Previously, there were few producers in Turkey. A straw might seem simple or like a single-use product, but there are 13-14 varieties. Producing all of them is difficult. It's a tough job involving 7-8 stages. People didn't invest in this because it requires heavy manual labor. But since we know the Turkish market well from years of wholesaling, we succeeded. We are now exporting to Turkic Republics, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iraq."