Our history
In 1993, three young entrepreneur brothers, under the leadership of today's CEO Erdogan Güner, founded what is now EM GROUP.
Initially, the service offered was limited to supplying supermarkets with fresh Çiğköftem. Here they quickly grew to a level where they could supply hundreds of supermarkets and prepare Çiğköftem fresh on the spot. But it was not only these successes that inspired the three brothers to think one step further, because the cooperating supermarkets began to demand an ever higher profit share with the increasing number of competitors on the market. This led the brothers to withdraw from cooperative ventures with supermarkets.
From times of crisis to the idea of success
So the Güner brothers had to reorient themselves and master new challenges.
But with their now more than ten years of experience in the production of cigköftem and the lessons learned from all those years of intense activity in the market, they were now ready to explore new ways to achieve greater success. So in 2005, the brothers opened their first Cigköftem store in Istanbul. In the beginning, the siblings had to cope with those who ridiculed their idea and did not see any success in it. But they believed in the idea, had faith in the quality and taste of their products and were not deterred. Within a very short time, they reached a previously unimaginably large clientele.
Rapid growth
From now on, things went steeply uphill for the Güner brothers.
Within a few months, they opened more stores. After only four years, the first branch was opened in Europe. A milestone! Today, Cigköftem offers a wide range of products, allowing customers across Europe to enjoy healthy and delicious food.
The successes in Europe led to Çiğköftem winning the German Design Council's Best Franchise Company Award in 2014. Two years later, Çiğköftem won the Superior Taste Award of the Belgian "International Taste Institute".
Success with over 100 branches
The success in Europe is impressive. In just a few years, the brand has been able to grow to a size that can compete with major franchised labels.
Vegan fast food is popular. The trend shows a steep upward curve. With the delicious and modern, yet traditional products, Cigköftem has become a player in the market. You don't measure yourself against big chains and franchisor brands in the similar segment for nothing. More than 100 branches in Europe speak volumes.
Cigköftem will continue to write the Erfolsstory, present itself dynamically and redefine itself. And always when the market demands it. Cigköftem will remain modern and competitive and continue to conquer hearts in the vegan and healthy food segment!
Our image video
Insight into the life of Cigköftem. How are the products made, how are they prepared and how are they served?
Franchising with us. This is how it works!
We consider our franchisees to be true partners and enjoy the success of each store!