Teacher Turned Entrepreneur: Bringing Turkish Flavors to the U.S.

Before starting Basil Grocery, can you tell us a little about your background? Where did you grow up and what influenced your entrepreneurial journey?

This is Şenel Akbaş. I am from Ordu, I worked as a primary school teacher for 8 years in the beautiful cities of Turkey. My first teaching city was Düzce, where I met my love. He was an art teacher at the same school. While my wife and I were working in Darıca Kocaeli, we decided to apply for a green card. My wife was a painter who had a master's degree in Fine Arts, and it was a big dream to come to America and do artwork here. I also had a lot of work with Microsoft. In light of these, coming to America was a beautiful dream for both of us. . My wife got a Green Card and we moved to the United States in May 2010. I worked as an IT manager in different companies for years, but I always looked for ways to start my own business. We tried a few different ideas and eventually, Basil Grocery's ideas came true.

What inspired you to found Basil Grocery, which focuses specifically on Turkish food and household goods? How many brands and products do you sell in your store?

We live in the Central Jersey area and 6-7 years ago there were no other options for the Turkish market. We decided to create a website to sell Turkish grocery products with home delivery only for the NJ area. After advertising our brand and idea, we got a lot of potential customers in all states. It is impossible to escape customers' requests and we have started shipping to all states. We started Basil Grocery with just 60 items but now have over 5000 food and household items in stock. We sell the most well-known food brands such as Ülker, Eti, Merve, Tadim, and also bring HomeGoods brands such as Karaca Zuccaciye, Hisar Çelik and Özdilek to Turkey.

How did you overcome the challenges of entering the online market for Turkish products in the United States?

Entering the online market is not difficult. The hard part is building customer trust. because there were a lot of scammers selling online and people were too afraid to shop online from regular websites. The main issue was to ensure this trust.

Can you describe a key moment or decision that significantly impacted the growth of Basil Grocery?

Our biggest turning point was when Amazon knocked on our door and offered us 0% APR credit. We received a very good loan from Amazon and managed to increase our stock limits and packaging quality. After that the pandemic covered the whole world and our website got a lot of hits during the pandemic shutdown.

What role has your family played in the development and operation of the company over the years?

We always work together with my wife and children. I have a son and a daughter, and my children supported us a lot, especially during the pandemic period. Because we have to work almost endlessly and they give us great support in this process. Currently, my son works for us as a website developer and he manages all the online stuff

What strategies have you used to build and retain a loyal customer base in such a competitive online market?

As I mentioned before, trust is the most important thing for online shoppers. We always listen and make corrections after each customer's feedback.

What lessons have you learned as an entrepreneur from your journey establishing and running Basil Grocery?

I was always a customer and never on the other side of the counter. Being a customer and being a seller is very different. Listening and learning from each customer is endless. and also Working with people and gaining their trust is a very difficult thing. Our customers, especially those who order Turkish products, want to taste a taste they miss, so the products need to reach their hands without any problems. We feel and empathize with our feelings as a customer and send each package with care. Our main goal is not to make money but to create customer satisfaction and stay in the market for years in this long-term adventure.