Birol Altınkılıç
Birol Altınkılıç, founder of Kahve Dünyası and Altınmarka Group, died at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack, marking the loss of one of Türkiye’s prominent figures in the food and chocolate industry.
Altınkılıç, who founded Altınmarka Group in 1992, built the company into one of Türkiye’s leading cocoa processors and chocolate manufacturers. The group later expanded into retail through Kahve Dünyası, which opened its first store in Istanbul’s Eminönü district in the early 2000s and has since grown to more than 200 outlets in Türkiye, the United Kingdom, Romania, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Altınmarka also became a major supplier of industrial chocolate and cocoa products to international food companies, while its broader operations expanded into coffee, confectionery, logistics and construction.
Altınkılıç was recognized among Türkiye’s wealthiest businesspeople. Forbes Türkiye ranked him 79th on its 2020 list of the country’s 100 richest people, with an estimated fortune of $500 million.
He had celebrated his 66th birthday with his grandchildren just one day before his death.
