Caspian Energy (CE): How did your company’s story begin? What were the key milestones you went through from the initial idea to the company’s official launch?
Gökhan Özkundakcı, Director of Fabriora Group: At the heart of our company’s founding story lies years of accumulated manufacturing and entrepreneurial experience, an accurate assessment of market needs, and a clear vision to provide consumers with high-quality products at affordable prices.
The foundation of this experience was laid back in the 1960s through activities carried out across the industrial, manufacturing, construction, and trade sectors in Gaziantep, Türkiye. The knowledge and expertise gained across these diverse fields paved the way for the further development of operations focused on everyday consumer goods.
In 2013, driven by the initiative of Predo founder Ibrahim Uygur, the Predo brand was established with the mission of providing consumers with high-quality and affordable everyday consumer goods.
Another major milestone was Predo’s entry into the Azerbaijani market. In 2015, the brand launched its operations in Azerbaijan. Our primary goal here was to accurately identify market needs and provide consumers with high-quality, reliable, and affordable products. Predo products were warmly received by Azerbaijani consumers, and the brand quickly began establishing its position in the market.
Consumer trust and the growing demand for our products allowed us to expand our operations step by step. Over time, we broadened our product portfolio and developed our activities across various categories.
As our operations grew, we set an even bigger goal for ourselves: rather than limiting ourselves to distribution alone, we aimed to organize the manufacturing of Predo products right here in Azerbaijan. To achieve this, we brought together the manufacturing, business, and market expertise we had accumulated over the years.
In 2025, we made the decision to organize the manufacturing of our products in Azerbaijan. Following up on this decision, together with Predo founder Ibrahim Uygur, we established Fabriora Group, expanding our operations in Azerbaijan from distribution to manufacturing.
CE: How did your interest in this field arise, and what stage marked the beginning of your professional career?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: My professional career began in the fields of advertising and marketing in Azerbaijan. I have been active in this sector since 2006, and starting in 2007, I led the advertising, marketing, and commercial operations at Khazar TV for many years. During this period, collaborating with thousands of companies across various sectors gave me the opportunity to closely understand the Azerbaijani market and diverse business fields.
My interest in the consumer goods sector began to take shape with Predo’s entry into the Azerbaijani market in 2015. From that period onward, I closely participated in the company’s operations in Azerbaijan. The rapid acceptance of the products by a broad consumer audience, the brand’s growth, and the market’s potential further heightened my interest in this field.
In the following years, the expansion of our partnership with Predo led me to take on a closer and more direct role in the consumer goods sector.
CE: What was your company’s inaugural product or service offering on the market, and how do you look back on its market reception?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: The first product we introduced to the market was Predo baby diapers. From the very moment it entered the Azerbaijani market, the product was met with immense interest and a positive reception from consumers.
Offering quality and an affordable price together played a crucial role in consumers trusting the product and repeatedly choosing Predo. As a result, the brand quickly gained a strong position in the market and continuously consolidated that position in the years that followed.
Today, holding a market share of over 45% based on the number of baby diapers sold, Predo holds a leading position in its category. This achievement is the ultimate testament to the trust consumers have placed in the product’s quality and the brand over the years.
CE: Today, your company is one of the key players in its field. What turning points and development stages have played a special role in the company’s rise to its current position?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: The company’s arrival at its current position is, of course, not the result of a single day or a single decision. This is a long path of development we have traversed step by step. One of the main turning points along this path was the expansion of our product portfolio and our entry into new product categories that address the diverse needs of the market.
Another critical milestone was the expansion of our distribution network and making our products accessible to a larger consumer base across the country. In parallel with this, the development of our manufacturing capabilities and our investments in local production created a much stronger foundation for the company’s future growth.
However, I believe that the core factor uniting all these stages is our constant drive to look forward. The market changes, consumer expectations evolve, and we grow by keeping pace with these shifts. Our position today is the result of consistent steps taken over the years, sound decision-making, and the collaborative effort of our team.
CE: What are the core mission, business philosophy, and corporate values of your company?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: The core mission of our operations is to provide consumers with modern, reliable products that meet high standards of quality, and to add real value to their daily needs. At the foundation of our business philosophy lies a very simple yet unchanging principle: «Everything has an alternative, except quality.» Therefore, growth for us never means compromising on quality.
In our operations, we place special emphasis on innovation, modern technologies, consumer satisfaction, and sustainable development. At the same time, contributing to the growth of local manufacturing, delivering high-quality products produced right here in Azerbaijan to consumers, and adding value to the country’s production potential stand out as key priorities for us today.
I would express our values primarily as a commitment to quality, reliability, openness to innovation, and a deep respect for the consumer in every product we create. Our goal is not merely to manufacture products, but to build brands that people choose with confidence and make a part of their daily lives.
CE: What key projects and initiatives does your company implement in the direction of corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: Corporate social responsibility is one of the important directions of our operations. Within this framework, we sponsor various educational and awareness-raising events, and provide assistance to various centers and initiatives in need of social support.
For us, business success is not measured solely by economic indicators. Bringing benefits to the society in which we operate, especially contributing to education and social well-being, is also part of our responsibility. In the future, we plan to further expand our CSR activities and implement more sustainable social projects.
CE: How would you characterize your leadership and business management style? What are the core personal qualities that help you successfully manage the company?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: I would characterize my leadership style as an approach built largely on trust and teamwork. First and foremost, I believe in the importance of believing in the work and the idea at hand. If a leader themselves does not believe in the idea, it becomes difficult to unite the team around it.
Building a strong and professional team is extremely important to me. A leader doesn’t have to do every single task themselves. On the contrary, it is essential to choose the right people, trust their expertise, listen to their ideas, and empower them to operate independently in their respective fields.
Communication is also a core part of my management style. Finding a common language with people, conveying an idea correctly, and uniting the team around a shared goal changes a lot in business. As for my personal qualities, I would highlight trustworthiness, determination, strong communication skills, and a focus on results. In my opinion, successful leadership is not about doing everything on your own, but rather creating powerful outcomes together with capable people.
CE: If you had the opportunity to return to the early years of your activities, what advice would you give yourself?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: If we had the opportunity to return to the early years of our activities, the main advice we would give ourselves would be to make bolder decisions.
Considering the manufacturing enterprise we have established in Azerbaijan today, we think we could have started local production even earlier, back in 2013–2015. This could have enabled us to grow more rapidly in the Azerbaijani market and enter markets like Central Asia and the Middle East much sooner. At the same time, it would have created an opportunity for our local production to be represented in international markets at an earlier stage.
However, everything has its own time. Today, with the experience we have gained and the manufacturing capabilities we have built, we are moving forward toward our future goals in a much more systematic way.
CE: How do you envision the growth and future targets of your company in the coming years?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: In the coming years, our main target is to maintain the pace of the company’s growth, expand our local manufacturing capabilities, and further strengthen the market position of our existing brands. At the same time, we plan to develop our product portfolio with new categories and introduce innovations aligned with the changing needs of consumers.
One of the crucial directions of our future strategy is entry into new markets. Our goal is to take the production and brand potential we have built in Azerbaijan across a broader geography, increase our export capabilities, and establish a sustainable position in international markets.
CE: How do you assess the activities of Caspian Energy Club and its contributions to the development of the business environment? What would you like to wish all members of the Club?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: The fact that Caspian Energy Club brings business representatives together, creates a platform for the exchange of experience and ideas, and contributes to the establishment of new partnerships is significant from the perspective of the business environment. Such platforms foster the expansion of ties among companies and create new opportunities.
I wish all members of the Club success in their operations, sustainable growth, and new business opportunities. I hope that this platform will continue to contribute to the emergence of new partnerships and successful initiatives in the future.
CE: Could you provide information about the current operational geography of your company and your future expansion plans?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: Today, our operational geography is quite extensive, and our products are represented in 85 countries worldwide. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan holds special significance for us both as a strategic market and in terms of new manufacturing and export opportunities.
One of our main targets in the next phase is to further expand our export geography by utilizing the manufacturing potential in Azerbaijan. Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Middle Eastern countries are among the targeted markets in this direction. At the same time, we continuously evaluate new market opportunities. Our goal is to gradually expand our operational geography and further strengthen the international position of our brands.
CE: In which regions of Azerbaijan are you currently operating, and in which regions do you plan to expand your operations in the future?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: Currently, our products are widely represented across the regions of Azerbaijan, and we possess a strong distribution network. In the next phase, our main target is to further strengthen our presence and achieve 100 percent coverage across the country.
Our goal is to ensure that our products are equally accessible to consumers in all regions of Azerbaijan and to continuously develop our distribution network in this direction.
CE: What are the key features that distinguish the products or services offered by your company from other offerings in the market?
Gökhan Özkundakcı: The main advantages that distinguish our products from other offerings in the market are high quality, affordable pricing, and local manufacturing. Our goal is to provide consumers with reliable products at a reasonable price without compromising on quality.
Local manufacturing allows us both to respond more flexibly to market needs and to monitor the quality of our products more closely. We believe that high quality should be accessible to everyone, and we base our operations precisely on this principle.
