Döngü Cooperative

What Döngü Cooperative does

Döngü Cooperative (S.S. Döngü Tarımda Kadim Bilgiler Yeni Fikirler Bilimsel Ar-Ge Kooperatifi) is a non-profit agricultural R&D cooperative established on December 20, 2018 in İzmir, Turkey. Founded by ten women professionals including engineers, lawyers, academics, journalists, and economists, the cooperative is focused on reviving flax (keten) production in Turkey, which declined sharply after the 1970s and left an annual import bill of roughly $5.5M as of 2014. The organization runs a vertically integrated value chain spanning seed development, cultivation, primary processing, and finished product manufacturing across food, textile, personal care, and composite material categories.

At the technical core, the cooperative co-developed Turkey's first indigenous fiber flax seed varieties — Efe35 and Cemre35 — with the Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü (ETAE); production permits were granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in August 2021, with full plant variety registration still pending. Processing capabilities include a cold-press oil extraction operation with nitrogen tank storage (100 kg daily pressing capacity) and in-house retting, breaking, and spinning of flax fiber, with yarn and fabric production handled through Veritas Tekstil in Denizli. Finished lines under the 'Ketenden Şeyler' (Things from Flax) series include cold-pressed flax oil verified at 53.53% ALA by Eurofins, linen-cotton blended towels, tablecloths, runners, clothing sets, flax-patchouli soap, hair serum, and jewelry, while a separate B-PREG partnership is developing UD-Flax composites for automotive, construction, and defense applications.

Commercial activity is split across three streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales via dongukoopsatis.com, grant funding from Sabancı Foundation, UNDP Turkey, GEF-SGP and Koop-Des, and B2B textile R&D consulting. Operations are anchored at a Konak/İzmir headquarters and the Kahrat Topluluk Mutfağı community kitchen in Tire's Kahrat village (established 2022 with UNDP support), and cultivation now spans the Aegean (Tire, Aydın), Western Black Sea, Central Anatolia (Afyon), and Mediterranean (Manavgat) regions. The cooperative is privately financed through grants rather than equity, reports six employees, and discloses no revenue figures.

Name

Döngü Cooperative

Legal name

S.S. DÖNGÜ TARIMDA KADİM BİLGİLER YENİ FİKİRLER BİLİMSEL AR-GE KOOPERATİFİ

Website

https://dongukoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Döngü Cooperative is an İzmir-based agricultural R&D cooperative reviving domestic flax production in Turkey. It develops indigenous flax seed varieties and produces cold-pressed oil, textiles, composites, and personal care items while training rural women.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flax-based Consumer Products

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Flax Farming (Fiber/Linen Flax) (AFAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Flax seed cultivation
• Natural fiber textiles
• Cold-pressed oil
• Agricultural cooperative
• Natural personal care

Headquarters

HQ city

İzmir

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of flax-based products including food (flax seeds, cold-press oil, ground flax), textiles (towels, tablecloths, runners, clothing), personal care (flax oil soap, hair serum), and jewelry designs. Sold through own e-commerce platform.
2. Grant Funding: Project grants from Sabancı Foundation (2023-2024 grant), UNDP Turkey Acceleration Lab pilot funding, GEF-SGP (Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme), and Koop-Des government program support.
3. Service/Consulting: R&D consulting services for textile companies on local flax processing, training services for rural women, and agricultural consulting on flax cultivation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Döngü Cooperative cultivates flax (keten) and produces a vertically integrated line of flax-based consumer products including cold-pressed flax seed oil, whole and ground flax seeds, linen-cotton blend textiles (towels, tablecloths, runners, clothing sets), natural personal care items (flax-patchouli soap, hair serum), and flax-inspired jewelry. The cooperative also developed Turkey's first indigenous fiber flax seed varieties (Efe35, Cemre35) in partnership with Ege Agricultural Research Institute.

Product overview

Döngü Cooperative operates as an R&D agricultural cooperative focused on reintroducing and developing flax (keten) production in Turkey. The cooperative's product portfolio spans four main categories under the 'Ketenden Şeyler' (Things from Flax) series: Food Products (cold-pressed flax oil, whole and ground flax seeds), Textile Products (towels, tablecloths, runners, and clothing sets made from linen-cotton blends), Skin/Hair Care Products (flax-patchouli soap, hair care serum), and Designs (flax-inspired jewelry). Additionally, under the 'Kahrat'tan Şeyler' brand, canvas bags are produced by local women entrepreneurs. The cooperative also produces cold-pressed flax oil using specialized equipment, and flax fibers are processed into composite materials for industrial applications through B-PREG partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kahrat'tan Şeyler: Entrepreneurship brand created by women in Kahrat village, featuring canvas bags and bags
• Ketenden Şeyler

Products and services

• Keten Tohumu (Flax Seeds) Whole flax seeds grown in the Aegean Region without pesticides or herbicides, harvested and cleaned for consumption. Sold to health-conscious consumers via the cooperative's own online store.
• Keten Yağı (Flax Seed Oil) Cold-pressed flax seed oil produced in laboratory conditions with 53.53% Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) content, stored in dark bottles to protect from light oxidation. Verified by Eurofins Food Control Laboratory.
• Öğütülmüş Keten Tohumu (Ground Flax Seeds)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% domestic production chain established for flax products
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Blend1601 (Torlak Çiftliği)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2024Coffee farm and producer partnership for specialty textile products. Produced custom runners and napkins from Döngü-Veritas flax fabric with 'Anadolu'nun yerel keten tohumunu yeniden hayata kazandıran Döngü Kooperatifi tarafından özel üretilmiştir' label.
• The Linen Project (Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2023International knowledge-sharing partnership. Visit to Arnhem, Netherlands to learn from established flax community. Network expansion for flax production knowledge and Keten Workshop development参考.
• RawsomeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Vegan healthy snack company partnership for textile organization project. Collaborated on eco-friendly canvas bags with Ödemiş Public Education center women artisans.
• Good4Trust PlatformminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2022Ecological and social marketplace listing. Türetim Ekonomisi (Production Economy) platform connecting producers with conscious consumers. Products listed on platform as certified ethical/sustainable producers.
• Açık Açık Social Enterprises PlatformminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2022Transparency and accountability-focused social enterprise platform. Listed as member of platform promoting open communication and accountability culture among social enterprises.
• UN Women - Convention on the Status of WomenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2022International forum presentation on 'Women in Climate Change Creative Solutions' panel. Cooperative founders Ayçe Bükülmeyen Özerdem and Dr. Burcu Karaca Uğural presented flax as sustainable agriculture solution.
• UN FAO - TGDF Women PlatformminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2022UN Food and Agriculture Organization forum on 'Women Employment in Agriculture'. Member Müge Nisari presented challenges and experiences of women farmers in flax production.
• Veritas TekstilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2021Major textile R&D partnership for processing local flax fibers into yarn and fabrics. Located in Denizli, Turkey. Veritas provided specialized machinery adjustments and two years of R&D testing to produce first domestic flax textiles. Key partner for 'Döngü-Veritas-Blend1601 İşbirliği' producing table linens and napkins from local flax.
• BadecanlarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2021Natural soap producer partnership for developing Keten-Paçuli soap using cold-press flax oil. Young entrepreneurs Bade and Emre created custom formula for anti-inflammatory, skin-nourishing soap product.
• Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü (ETAE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2019Government agricultural research institute partnership for seed development. Jointly developed Turkey's first indigenous fiber flax varieties (Efe35, Cemre35). Provides laboratory facilities, seed bank access, and ongoing R&D support. Institute Director Dr. Ertuğrul Arda serves on cooperative advisory board.
• B-PREGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Technology startup partnership for developing flax fiber composites. Founded by cooperative member Dr. Burcu Karaca Uğural. Developing UD-Flax products for automotive lightweighting, construction, and defense applications. Company has won awards from TUBITAK, ClimateLaunchPad, and Hello Tomorrow Turkey.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Direct peers

• Bcomp: Swiss natural fiber composites company producing flax-based reinforcement fabrics for automotive interior, motorsport, sports equipment, and construction applications. Directly comparable to Döngü's B-PREG partnership work in UD-Flax composites, and a benchmark for natural fiber composites commercialization at scale.
• Libeco: Belgian flax-to-linen textile company producing fabrics, home textiles, and apparel from European flax. Directly comparable to Döngü's textile vertical (towels, tablecloths, runners), but with full European retail distribution and mature brand presence versus Döngü's emerging Turkish D2C operation.
• Terre de Lin: French flax producer cooperative organizing cultivation, scutching, and commercialization of flax fiber across Normandy. Highly comparable to Döngü as a flax-focused agricultural cooperative pursuing vertical integration from grower to processor, though operating at significantly larger scale in a mature European flax ecosystem.
• Safilin: French linen yarn manufacturer producing wet-spun and dry-spun linen yarns from European flax. Comparable to Döngü's flax fiber-to-yarn processing work with Veritas Tekstil, but at industrial European scale; both serve downstream textile manufacturers seeking traceable flax yarn supply.
• HempFlax: Dutch fiber crop processing company cultivating and processing industrial hemp and flax into fibers, shives, and seeds for textile, automotive, construction, and animal bedding markets. Directly comparable to Döngü's fiber crop cultivation and processing model, though operating at industrial scale across Europe.
• Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale: Italian linen yarn manufacturer (wholly owned by Marzotto Group) producing wet-spun linen yarns from European flax for apparel and home textile applications. Comparable to Döngü's flax-to-yarn value chain step, operating as a long-established specialty yarn producer serving fashion and home textile brands.
• Bast Fibre Technologies: Canadian natural fiber processing company producing bast fibers (flax, hemp, kenaf) for nonwovens, composites, and industrial applications. Comparable to Döngü's fiber processing capabilities and industrial customer focus, though focused on North American markets and nonwoven end-uses.

Emerging players

• Natural Fibre Welding: US-based startup developing natural fiber composites (CLIP technology) for footwear, automotive, and consumer goods applications, founded with university research origins. Comparable to Döngü's B-PREG partnership as an emerging natural fiber composites player, though with more developed IP and commercial traction in footwear brands.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC...
• Facebookfacebook.com/dongukooperatifi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dongu-kooperatifi
• Instagraminstagram.com/dongukooperatifi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Döngü Cooperative