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.
“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.”
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.
Legendary chocolatier Pierre Draps Jr. shared the same commitment to craftsmanship and attention to detail – a drive that inspired the creation of GODIVA in 1926, now the first name in premium chocolate in hearts and minds across 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
Chocolatier Pierre Draps Sr. starts to create pralines at his family atelier in Brussels, Belgium, joined by his sons – including Pierre Draps Jr. who would coin the name GODIVA for his iconic line of chocolates drawing on the rich tradition of Art Noveau.
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.
