Koska Helvacısı facts for kids

Koska Helvacısı, or simply Koska, is a very famous brand from Turkey. They are known for making delicious traditional sweets. Their most popular products are helva and Turkish delight. Koska is one of the leading sweet makers in Turkey.

What Does Koska Mean?

The name Koska comes from a place. Koska used to be a neighborhood in Istanbul. The company took its name from where their first shop was located. "Helvacı" means someone who makes or sells sweets in Turkish. So, "Koska Helvacısı" means "The Sweetshop from Koska."

How Koska Started

Koska's story began a long time ago. It started in the early 1900s in the city of Denizli. A person named Hacı Emin Bey founded the first sweet business.

His son, Halil İbrahim Adil Dindar, moved to Istanbul in 1931. He opened a shop in the Koska neighborhood. There, he started making and selling helva.

The Family Business Divides

In 1982, after their father passed away, his three sons took over the company. They decided to split the business into two separate parts. However, they all agreed to keep using the well-known "Koska" brand name.

Nevzat and Mümtaz Dindar started a company called "Merter Helva." Mahir Dindar started his own company called "Mahir Gıda." Both companies continued to sell their sweets under the traditional "Koska" name.

Koska Today

Today, there are still two companies using the Koska name. They both make and sell many types of sweets.

Different Logos

In 2011, Merter Helva added a special symbol to its logo. They put a "nazar boncuğu" on it. This is a traditional blue and white bead believed to bring good luck. They did this to help people tell their products apart from the other Koska company.

However, Mahir Gıda did not agree with this change. They said that no real Koska product should have symbols like beads. In response, Merter Helva said that only their products, which show the "Helvacı Dede" (Grandpa Helvacı) image, are the genuine Koska.

Merter Helva also created a special agreement for their company. This was to prevent similar divisions in the future. They also received special certificates. These include a "kosher food" certificate and a "halal food" certificate. These show that their food meets certain religious dietary rules.

Both companies continue to produce many delicious sweets. This includes Turkish delight, fruit preserves, and various other sweet treats. Of course, they still make the traditional helva too.