Iconic family names that have made baking history across the world. Brands that have been loved for generations.

Inspiring thing a recipe.

Like all the best recipes, pladis is a perfect combination of ingredients mixed in just the right order: family names that have resonated through the years; brands that are as loved today as they were more than a century ago. And there’s a secret to the best recipes known only to the great bakers and chocolatiers.

It’s not just about flavour…
…it’s also about feeling.

Whether it’s creating recipes that endure for generations or building a visionary business that inspires far into the future. It’s something our founding family have always understood. In 1944, working from their small bakery in Istanbul, the Ülker brothers believed that if they created something with passion, it would be loved in return. They knew that what came out of their ovens created special moments. Shared moments. Family moments. In fact, in their minds, they weren’t baking biscuits at all. They were baking memories.

Sabri Ülker, founded the Ülker company in 1944

“When we set out on our journey over 70 years ago, we had one aim: to be the quality brand families reached for when they wanted the taste of a happy moment.”

Sir Alexander Grant, inventor of the digestive biscuit

The Ülkers’ vision was to bring together the finest minds and ideas in baking from around the world. Bakers and chocolatiers who shared their values and their passion.

Like the McVitie family who, over 100 years earlier in 1832, had opened the doors of their first shop on Rose Street, Edinburgh and through meticulous care for both their ingredients and their bakers, had turned biscuit making into an art form.

Joseph Draps, chocolatier and founder of Godiva

And legendary chocolatier Joseph Draps who, in the early 20th Century, had the same commitment to craftsmanship and attention to every last detail. Who created Godiva, a chocolate experience that delighted hearts as well as taste buds across Belgium and the world.

pladis unites the hard work, the brave ideas, and the craftsmanship of these and other baking pioneers. They are our teachers as well as our founders. And their values and commitment inspire us to this day, generations later. They are our heroes and our history. They are pladis.

pladis… generations in the making

1839

More than 180 years ago, McVitie’s started life as a small provision shop on Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1923

At George DeMet’s Madison Street candy store in Chicago, a chocolate dipper named Minnie comments that a newly dipped treat looks like a turtle and a legend is born. ‘Turtles’ pecan and caramel nut clusters take the chocolate industry by storm.

1926

Joseph Draps opens his first store in the ‘Grand Palace’, introducing Godiva – a gothic inspired, finely crafted premium chocolate to the people of Belgium.

1927

McVitie and Price introduce the Jaffa Cake to the world. Despite a challenge in the courts, they prove Jaffas are cakes, not biscuits.

1944

Brothers, Sabri and Asim Ülker, start a small bakery in Istanbul and produce the very first Ülker biscuit called Pötibör.

1947

McVitie & Price make the wedding cake for Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. With post-war rationing still in place, ingredients are sent as wedding presents from around the world.

1963

Prince Philip was given a ‘pop star reception’ when he visited McVitie and Price’s Biscuit Factory in London

1974

The popularity of Ülker Chocolate leads to the opening of a dedicated factory in Istanbul to meet growing demand and reach consumers in remote parts of the country.

1978

Ülker starts to produce its own flour at its Ankara bakery, to guarantee the highest quality for their biscuits and cakes.

1984

Ülker establishes its factory in Topkapı Davutpaşa to create the machines required for increased biscuit and chocolate production.

1989

Yildiz Holding is founded by Sabri Ülker, bringing companies including Ülker under its name.

2007

The retail business of premium Belgian chocolatier, Godiva, is acquired by Yildiz Holding.

2009

McVitie’s deliver a ground breaking ‘biscuit category first’ with a 50% reduction in the saturated fat content across the flagship Rich Tea and Hobnob brands.

2014

American chocolate confectionery manufacturer DeMet’s Candy and British food giant, United Biscuits join the Yildiz Holding family.

2016

pladis is formed, bringing together the iconic and well-established family businesses – and star brands from United Biscuits, Ülker, DeMet’s Candy and Godiva into one global constellation.

2021

pladis opens its new global hub – miü campus – in Chiswick Park, West London, welcoming our colleagues back to a new space, purpose-designed to facilitate collaboration and new ways of working. miü campus, named in honour of our Chairman, Murat Ülker, is a statement of who we are today… as well as our ambitions for the future.