NEW BERLIN – Chobani Founder, President and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya was honored at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for the New York area as the winner in the retail and consumer products category.

Ulukaya was selected as a leading entrepreneur by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were revealed at a gala honoring all finalists held Tuesday in New York City.

“I’m honored to be recognized among such accomplished fellow entrepreneurs by Ernst & Young,” he said. “We started Chobani in 2005 with five people and are now over 1,200 strong. I couldn’t have done this without my great team who has helped me build this business one cup at a time and make Chobani America’s number one yogurt brand.”

A Turkish immigrant, Ulukaya’s entrepreneurial vision led to one of the world’s fastest growing consumer brands in the United States, Chobani Greek Yogurt. His vision for Chobani effectively transformed the U.S. yogurt category and sent longtime industry leaders scrambling to catch up.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.