Alpedo

What Alpedo does

Alpedo, legally Kervan Lezzet Gıda Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., is a Kahramanmaraş-based ice cream and confectionery producer founded in 1960 by Durgut Pekel and operating as the flagship brand of the family-owned Kervan Lezzet Grubu. The company produces traditional Maraş-style ice cream using natural ingredients — goat milk from the Kahramanmaraş region, salep extracted from wild orchid tubers, and natural beet sugar — with no glucose syrup or starch-based additives. Production is conducted at an integrated ISO 22000:2018-certified facility with a daily capacity of 135 tons, supplemented by the HACI BABA Farm (established 2016) for vertically integrated goat milk supply, and the company holds the official Maraş Dondurması Geographical Indication registration.

The product portfolio spans 50+ ice cream varieties across formats (bulk reyon, baton bars, top-top cups, Maraş kesme, kaseler, kol dondurma, stone, gusto, fantastic, troping, sandwich, ice cream cakes), a range of traditional Turkish sweets (baklava and pastry varieties using Kahramanmaraş pistachios), and regional specialty products (tarhana, pistachio paste, cookies, pul biber). Distribution combines a master franchising system spanning 7 countries (Turkey, China, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq) and reaching 114,000 points globally, 22+ regional directorates across Turkey, five company-owned retail concept formats (Alpedo Shop, Kervan Çarşısı, Kervan Bistro, Kervanhan, Kervan Kristal), and direct e-commerce via kervandaniste.com. Alpedo accounts for approximately 10% of Turkey's total ice cream production.

The business model rests on franchise license fees, wholesale distribution, own-store retail, and online sales, with the company stating 100% domestic capital and no external equity investment disclosed in source data. Leadership is concentrated within the Pekel and Kervancıoğlu families — Sami Kervancıoğlu as Chairman of the Board, Mustafa Pekel as Vice Chairman, Yaşar Pekel as Board Member, and founder Durgut Pekel as master craftsman — with no evidence of outside private equity or venture capital participation.

Name

Alpedo

Legal name

Kervan Lezzet Gıda Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (ALPEDO)

Website

https://alpedo.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Alpedo is a Kahramanmaraş-based Turkish ice cream and confectionery producer, founded in 1960, that makes traditional Maraş-style ice cream from goat milk and natural salep, distributes through 114,000 points across 7 countries via master franchising, and supplies B2C consumers, franchise partners, and wholesale distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Cream Production and Frozen Desserts

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts Wholesale (AFAIAHAC), Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Traditional ice cream
• Turkish confections
• Baklava production
• Maraş ice cream
• Ice cream franchising

Headquarters

HQ city

Kahramanmaras

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Sales: Sale of traditional Maraş ice cream through own retail stores, franchise outlets, and wholesale distribution. Products include various formats: reyon (bulk), baton (bar), top-top, Maraş kesme (sliced), kaseler (cups), kol dondurma (popsicle), stone, gusto, fantastic, troping, sandwich ice cream, and ice cream cakes. Produced daily at 135 tons capacity.
2. Baklava and Sweets Sales: Traditional Turkish sweets including baklava varieties (fıstıklı dolangir, yeşil fıstıklı midye, special kadayıf, havuç dilimi, şöbiyet, fıstıklı prenses, fıstıklı kuş gözü, fıstıklı ev baklavası, cevizli ev baklavası, fıstıklı kadayıf, cevizli baklava, cevizli kıvrım, fıstıklı burma, fıstıklı dilber dudağı). Made with Kahramanmaraş pistachios, natural butter, and beet sugar.
3. Regional Products: Regional specialty products including Maraş fıstık ezmesi (pistachio paste), Maraş tarhanası, kızarmış Maraş tarhanası, Maraş kurabiyesi, Maraş pul biberi, makaron, and Maraş çöreği (both sweet and savory).
4. Franchise Fees: Revenue from granting franchises to open Alpedo shops and Kervan pastry branches. Master franchising system operates in 7 countries including China, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Turkey.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alpedo manufactures and sells traditional Maraş-style ice cream, Turkish sweets (baklava and pastries), and regional Kahramanmaraş specialty products (peanut paste, tarhana, cookies, pul biber, çörek). Ice cream is produced from natural salep (wild orchid tuber), goat milk from the HACI BABA farm, and natural beet sugar, in 50+ flavor varieties across bulk, bar, cup, cut, and cake formats. Products are distributed through own retail stores, a 22+ regional directorate network across Turkey, and a master franchising system reaching 114,000 points across 7 countries.

Product overview

Alpedo is a Kahramanmaraş-based ice cream and confectionery company founded in 1960 by Durgut Pekel, now part of Kervan Lezzet Gıda Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. The product portfolio consists of ice cream products (Reyon bulk, Baton bars, Top Top cups, Maraş Kesme cut ice cream, Kaseler cups, Kol Dondurma handheld, Stone squares, Gusto minis, Fantastic premium, Troping, Sandwich, and Ice Cream Cakes), Turkish sweets (various baklava and pastry varieties), and regional specialty products (Maraş tarhana, peanut paste, cookies, pul biber, corgi). The company operates through a franchise system with domestic branches across Turkey and international master franchising operations reaching 114,000 points worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reyon Bulk Ice Cream Bulk format ice cream sold by weight (4000g) in over 35 flavor varieties including plain, pistachio, chocolate, strawberry, orange, mango, hazelnut, vanilla, and others. Made from natural salep, Kahramanmaraş goat milk, and natural beet sugar for retail display at franchise and own-store locations.
• Baton Bar Ice Cream Bar-style stick ice cream in 480g and 250g sizes, available in pistachio, plain, and chocolate varieties. Produced as a portable packaged format for retail sale.
• Top Top Ice Cream Cups Packaged ice cream in 600ml (480g) cups with over 10 flavor variants including plain, strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, pistachio chocolate, pistachio caramel, lemon, cherry cocoa, mango Italian caramel, and cherry.
• Maraş Kesme Cut Ice Cream Traditional Maraş-style cut ice cream sold in 50g, 70g, 100g, and 600g sizes in plain, pistachio, plain with lemon strawberry, and plain with pistachio chocolate variants.
• Kaseler Ice Cream Cups Single-serve ice cream cups in 90g plain and 155g rose chocolate and rose plain variants.
• Kol Dondurma Handheld Ice Cream Handheld ice cream bars sold in pistachio, plain, and chocolate flavors for on-the-go consumption.
• Stone Pressed Ice Cream Squares Small pressed ice cream squares (54g) in pistachio, chocolate almond, classic, espresso, and family-size varieties.
• Gusto Mini Ice Cream Cups Mini ice cream cups at 75g in plain, pistachio plain, and cocoa plain varieties.
• Fantastic Premium Ice Cream Premium ice cream in chocolate cream (750ml) and cream (75g) varieties.
• Troping Ice Cream Ice cream in pistachio, chocolate, and strawberry flavors.
• Sandwich Ice Cream Ice cream sandwich in plain flavor, packaged in 700g format.
• Ice Cream Cakes (Dondurmalı Pastalar) Ice cream cakes in chocolate (700g) and raspberry (700g) varieties, made with goat milk and natural salep from mountain orchid tubers, for celebration and gifting occasions.
• Turkish Sweets (Tatlı Çeşitleri) Traditional Turkish sweets including baklava varieties (fıstıklı dolangir, yeşil fıstıklı midye, special kadayıf, havuç dilimi, şöbiyet, fıstıklı prenses, fıstıklı kuş gözü, fıstıklı ev baklavası, cevizli ev baklavası, fıstıklı kadayıf, fıstıklı midye, cevizli baklava, cevizli kıvrım, fıstıklı burma, fıstıklı dilber dudağı) made with Kahramanmaraş pistachios, natural butter, and beet sugar.
• Kahramanmaraş Regional Specialty Products (Yöresel Ürünler) Regional Kahramanmaraş specialty products including Maraş fıstık ezmesi (pistachio paste), Maraş tarhanası (dried yogurt soup mix), kızarmış Maraş tarhanası, Maraş kurabiyesi (cookies), Maraş pul biberi (chili flakes), macaron, and sweet/savory Maraş çöreği.
• Alpedo Franchising System Master franchising system granting rights to open Alpedo ice cream shops and Kervan pastry branches across 7 countries (Turkey, China, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq) with regional directorates managing local operations.
• Alpedo Global Master Franchising Program International master franchise expansion program delivering authentic Maraş ice cream to 114,000 points across 4 continents through master franchising partnerships in 7 countries.
• Online Sales (kervandaniste.com) E-commerce storefront enabling direct online ordering and delivery of Alpedo ice cream, Turkish sweets, and regional products to consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Daily production capacity of 135 tons of ice cream
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Amerikan ve Ortadoğulu İş Adamları (Avigdor Weinberger, Herman Goldberger, Steven Mountain, Dov Ruth)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022American and Middle Eastern businesspeople visited Kervan-Alpedo facilities and expressed satisfaction with services, product variety, and hygiene standards. Partnership established for exporting ice cream and sweets to these markets. Kervan Lezzetler Grubu Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Sami Kervancıoğlu stated they had achieved their 2022 target of business connections with 30 countries.
• Kanadalı İş Adamları (Canadian Businesspeople)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Partnership agreement signed to bring authentic Maraş ice cream to Canada. Canadian businesspeople visited Kervanhan facilities and expressed happiness that these flavors would be available in Canada. Alpedo Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Sami Kervancıoğlu stated this partnership would contribute significantly to country value and Alpedo brand, with plans for new agreements with countries like Canada.
• Çin Bölge Müdürlüğü (China Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in China. Alpedo operates regional directorate in China managing distribution across the country. First export to Far East completed in 2007.
• BAE Bölge Müdürlüğü (UAE Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in United Arab Emirates. Regional directorate managing operations in UAE market.
• Katar Bölge Müdürlüğü (Qatar Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in Qatar. Regional directorate managing operations in Qatari market.
• Bahreyn Bölge Müdürlüğü (Bahrain Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in Bahrain. Regional directorate managing operations in Bahraini market.
• Suudi Arabistan Bölge Müdürlüğü (Saudi Arabia Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in Saudi Arabia. Regional directorate managing operations in Saudi market.
• Irak Bölge Müdürlüğü (Iraq Regional Directorate)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchising partnership in Iraq. Regional directorate managing operations in Iraqi market.
• Discovery ChannelflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAlpedo was featured on Discovery Channel's documentary program presented by celebrity chef Carla Hall. The brand was showcased in Istanbul filming sessions as part of Discovery's programming reaching 110 countries. Sami Kervancıoğlu stated they introduced Kahramanmaraş to the world-famous documentary channel.
• Show TV Lezzet YolculuğucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on Show TV's popular food program Lezzet Yolculuğu hosted by Turgay Başyayla. The program showcased Kahramanmaraş's gastronomy, including Alpedo ice cream production and Kervan pastry shops. This was the program's sixth visit to Kahramanmaraş.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MADO: MADO is a heritage Turkish brand specializing in Maraş ice cream and traditional desserts with its own franchise chain. Directly comparable to Alpedo in product category, target consumer, and franchise-led growth model, making it the closest head-to-head competitor domestically.
• Yörük Dondurma: Yörük Dondurma is a traditional Turkish ice cream producer competing in the same artisanal Maraş-style category. It is a smaller-scale direct competitor targeting similar natural-ingredient, traditional-method positioning domestically and in select export markets.
• Algida (Unilever Turkey): Algida is Unilever's flagship ice cream brand in Turkey and the dominant mass-market competitor. Both brands compete directly for Turkish consumer ice cream occasions, with Algida leading on scale/marketing and Alpedo leading on authentic traditional positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Carte d'Or (Unilever): Carte d'Or is Unilever's premium European ice cream brand sold in Turkish retail. It competes in the same premium tier as Alpedo's Reyon bulk and baton lines, with broader international distribution and significantly larger marketing investment.
• Ben & Jerry's (Unilever): Ben & Jerry's is Unilever's super-premium, values-positioned ice cream brand. Comparable to Alpedo in its emphasis on distinctive ingredients and brand storytelling, though operating at much larger global scale with a different distribution approach.
• Magnum (Unilever): Magnum is Unilever's global premium handheld ice cream bar brand, directly comparable to Alpedo's baton and kol dondurma formats. Competes for the same impulse-premium ice cream occasion in Turkish and international retail.
• Häagen-Dazs (Nestlé): Häagen-Dazs is the global premium ice cream benchmark owned by Nestlé. It competes with Alpedo in the super-premium ice cream segment internationally, particularly in export markets like the UAE and China where Alpedo has master franchise presence.
• Nestlé Ice Cream: Nestlé is the world's largest ice cream manufacturer with a portfolio that overlaps Alpedo's categories across retail and foodservice. Comparable as a global incumbent with scale advantages in supply chain, retail relationships, and R&D.

Regional players

• Torku (Konya Şeker): Torku is a major Turkish food brand owned by Konya Şeker producing dairy, frozen desserts and packaged foods. Comparable as a domestically produced Turkish ice cream and dairy brand competing on similar retail shelves with a regional cooperative-backed positioning.

Emerging players

• Saray Pastaneleri: Saray Pastaneleri is a Turkish pastry and traditional sweets chain with comparable baklava and dessert offerings to Alpedo's Kervan pastry line. Competes for the same Turkish sweets and gift occasions through physical retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alpedoturkiye
• Facebookfacebook.com/alpedoturkiye

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alpedo