Topline
Chobani has raised $650 million in equity capital to help fund production investments in upstate New York and Idaho, the company confirmed on Thursday in a statement, pushing the Greek yogurt maker’s valuation to about $20 billion.
Chobani’s Hamdi Ulukaya speaks in 2024.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Chobani, the yogurt company founded by billionaire Hamdi Ulukaya in 2005, will raise the money at a $20 billion valuation, sources first told the New York Times on Thursday morning.
Chobani, the yogurt company founded by billionaire Hamdi Ulukaya in 2005, is expecting to make $3.8 billion in net sales in 2025, according to the Times report—representing a 28% increase from last year.
The company plans to use the funds to finance a factory expansion in Idaho, increasing production by 50%, and its $1.2 billion facility in upstate New York, which Ulukaya discussed with Forbes earlier this year.
Chobani has also made large acquisitions in other markets—including a $900 million purchase of coffeemaker La Colombe in 2023 and plant-based frozen meal provider Daily Harvest in May for an undisclosed amount.
Key Background
Ulukaya, a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey , emigrated to the United States in 1994. Years later, he started his dairy company in upstate New York after purchasing an old Kraft facility. Chobani’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. It was the U.S.’s top selling yogurt brand in 2024, netting the company $3 billion in revenue. Chobani is still privately owned by Ulukaya. The billionaire filed paperwork to take the company public in 2021, but dropped those plans in September 2022 as the market for IPOs cooled. In addition to running Chobani, Ulukaya also purchased and revived San Francisco’s iconic Anchor Brewing Company after it was shut down by Japanese brewing conglomerate Sapporo.
Forbes Valuation
Forbes estimates the deal pushes Ulukaya’s net worth up by more than $11 billion, from $2.1 billion to $13.5 billion, based on the reported $20 billion valuation. Ulukaya owns an estimated 68% of the company. A spokesperson for Chobani could not be reached for comment on Ulukaya’s net worth.