Chobani hired refugees and provided translators to overcome manufacturing labor shortages
Hamdi Ulukaya · Chobani: Hamdi Ulukaya (2022) · Jul 14, 2025 · at 1:04:45
Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, describes how he resolved early factory labor shortages by hiring refugees resettled in upstate New York.
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“I called the refugee center, and I said, what is the problem? And she said these are people who have a right to work, legally settled, and they don't speak the language, they don't have, you know, transportation, or people don't want to touch it because it's an unknown, and you know, all the other social issues. I immediately said, we can solve these problems. I drive from Utica to plant every day, so why don't we get some cars and buses that people can come with, and we will hire some translators, and we will train them at the work, and we will make this work.”
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