Cocoa, coffee and bitter aftertaste of loss

I never knew Birol Altınkılıç in person, but I knew of him far enough to be writing these words in his memory. The news of the sudden loss of Birol Altınkılıç spread quickly through gastronomy circles in Türkiye, almost at lightning speed. Every single post about him was full of admiration; about his kind personality and, of course, about his successes as a businessman. He was the founder of Altınmarka, a global player in the cacao and coffee markets. Together with his wife, Alev Altınkılıç, he founded the Turkish coffee chain Kahve Dünyası, practically the Turkish answer to Starbucks, and the second generation is pursuing the business with many more brands in the group. He was 66. I said to myself, “Oh, so young!” and suddenly realized that we were the same age. Life is short, and one never knows whose turn it is.

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