Bilkent Graduates Take Turkish Coffee Truck to Europe
A "Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck" recently visited İstanbul, courtesy of Turkayfe.org. Dedicated to promoting Turkey through personal experiences,Turkayfe.org was founded by Department of Banking and Finance 2004 graduate Gizem Şalcıgil White. She and other Turkayfe.org volunteers, including Deniz Caner (FBA/'05), Emin Okutan (MAN/MA), Joy Anna Crow (MAN/'12 - MA) and Suhna Xianhua Jın (MAN/MA), launched the Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck project last year in the United States.
The coffee truck is a voluntary initiative organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington, D.C., and Turkayfe.org to promote Turkish coffee and to engage people in "coffee conversations." The intent is to spark interest in Turkish culture while enhancing the bonds of friendship between nations.
The Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck was in İstanbul January 17-19 to kick off its first multi-country promotional tour, which will take place in Europe this spring. During the European tour, the Turkish Coffee Truck team will share free Turkish coffee, with the goal of increasing awareness of the rich and remarkable history of Turkish culture.
Between May and September 2012, the Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck traveled to five US states, with 10,000 Americans enjoying free samples of Turkish coffee. The project received domestic and international media coverage as well as official recognition from Turkish consulates and the US Congress.
Ms. Şalcıgil White explains, "After introducing Turkish coffee to Americans, we want to do the same in Europe. It was 500 years ago when coffee culture began to expand from Turkish lands into Europe. We want this story to happen again. Through our program, we are planning to give 20,000 people the opportunity to taste Turkish coffee. But we don't only introduce Turkish coffee and culture -- we also make friendships."
The 10-person coffee truck team will visit Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands during the course of their three-week trip. More information about Turkayfe and the Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck is available at http://www.turkayfe.org/