He is going to serve chocolate coated apricot to NATO leaders
Yalcin Manav has coated the apricot with chocolate and named it Kay-cho. He then exported a ton to Germany and Poland. The product has become popular in 5 star hotels in Istanbul. Now Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel has bought 80 kilos of kay-cho to offer to the leaders who will participate to NATO meetings

Yalcin Manav, ex-bureaucrat in Ministry of Tourism, has created a new export item by coating dried apricots with chocolate. For years Manav had made presents of dried apricots -the symbol of his native town Malatya- to his foreigner friends. "The dried apricots were not enjoyed in other countries as much as they were in Turkey. While thinking for making it more tasty, I had the idea to coat it with chocolate. I tried and it worked." he says. Manav named the chocolate coated apricot Kay-cho and registered the patent.

The exported amount of Kay-cho in first two months has reached 1 ton.

After 38 years of government service, Yalcin MANAV has set up his own company of tourism and international trade SYYM. He then began to export apricots. Meanwhile he had undertaken the presidency of Kitchen Professionals Association. He went on making presents of apricots during his travels abroad. One day, while chatting with his friend Yaþar Öncan he asked what if they coat the apricots with chocolate.

"We made a first test with ordinary apricots. The result was not good. Then we tried the natural apricots. Apricot which hadn't lost its flavour had a great taste when it was mixed with chocolate. First we started to sell it to 5 star hotels in Istanbul. Then we expanded in Europe."

Manav has first built up connection with Germany and Poland and he got ahead by selling a ton of Kay-cho. He then added Malta and UK to his list. Nowadays he's in preparation for signing contract with Club-Med. The french holiday village chain will add Kay-cho to its "welcome basket" which is offered to its guest in different countries.

Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel has also bought 80 kilos of kay-cho to offer to the leaders who will participate to NATO meetings.

Retired from Ministry of Tourism.

Yalcin Manav is a name well known in Turkey's tourism sector. During 37 years and 9 months he has served in several positions in the Ministry of Tourism. He has been the Tourism Director of Istanbul for a period of 16 years, nearly a record. During this period successively 34 ministers of tourism changed. Finally he was retired last year after having served as deputy secretary