Erdoğan Özgörkey was born in İzmir in 1933. He graduated from the Higher School of Commerce and Economics in 1955. He had his first business experiences during his middle school years, starting as an apprentice in his father’s lumber store and his elder brother’s machinery and engine store. At the age of 18, he became a partner in his brother’s store and was officially registered in the Commercial Registry. On March 1, 1957, he founded Modern Mobilya, a company that produced home and office furniture.
At the time, his biggest dream was to have a store that he personally opened and closed every day, and where he managed the bookkeeping himself. In fact, the ventures he undertook went far beyond those early dreams.
In 1967, Erdoğan Özgörkey, along with his partners, established the Coca-Cola production plant in İzmir under the name İmbat Meşrubat Sanayi, and he assumed leadership of the company’s management.
He laid the foundations for what is today known as Coca-Cola Beverage Products Companies of Türkiye. Between 1968 and 1998, he served as President of the companies responsible for the production, sales, marketing, and distribution of The Coca-Cola Company products in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. During this period, he led operations in facilities opened in Bornova (1968), Antalya (1982), Kemalpaşa (1986), and Işıkkent (1990), and with the experience gained there, he extended his expertise abroad by establishing two Coca-Cola factories in Galați and Constanța, Romania, in 1991.
In 1997, together with his sons Murat and Selim Özgörkey, he laid the foundations of the Erdoğan Özgörkey Group of Companies, a group whose capital is fully owned by the Erdoğan Özgörkey family.
In 1998, following the unification of all Coca-Cola operations in Türkiye under a single umbrella, Erdoğan Özgörkey took part in the newly formed partnership. He later brought his 31 years of experience in production, sales, distribution, and marketing into the frozen food industry. That same year, together with his sons Murat and Selim Özgörkey, he initiated a new investment in Torbalı. The construction of the frozen food facility, established under the name Özgörkey Gıda Ürünleri A.Ş., was completed in less than two years, and operations began in 2000. Under the leadership of Erdoğan Özgörkey, Özgörkey Gıda became the largest and most modern frozen food facility in Türkiye in terms of fruit & vegetable and potato product capacity.
Following an agreement signed in 2001 with Borusan Otomotiv, the distributor of BMW, MINI, and Land Rover vehicles in Türkiye, Erdoğan Özgörkey played a pioneering role in the launch of Borusan Otomotiv’s Authorized Dealership and Service operations in İzmir in 2002, under the name Özgörkey Otomotiv.
Erdoğan Özgörkey established ÖZTAR Seed and Agricultural Products Production business in 2003, driven by both his group companies' seed requirements and his visionary outlook for Türkiye's future seed needs. Erdoğan Özgörkey Companies Group thus created thousands of employment opportunities in the agricultural sector through investments in industry and agriculture, working in collaboration with Ege University and Agricultural Research Institutes.
Özgörkey Laundry, Erdoğan Özgörkey's first investment in the tourism sector which he had aspired to enter for years, commenced operations in Antalya in 2006. This industrial laundry facility was established to serve the tourism sector through the renovation of the former Coca-Cola factory building, as part of investments made in this industry. The facility became Türkiye's number one in its sector in terms of capacity, standards, and technology.
Another investment by Erdoğan Özgörkey in the tourism sector, Key Hotel—İzmir’s first and most modern design hotel—opened its doors in September 2011. The hotel was established through the restoration of the former Central Bank building, which features an award-winning design. Apart from his business life, Erdoğan Özgörkey has a keen interest in landscaping. Although he works with landscape architects for the gardens of his home and factories, he always makes sure to add a personal touch.
With a business life enriched by industry, commerce, and international partnerships, Erdoğan Özgörkey stands as a pioneering and exemplary figure in trade, industry, and professional management, not only in İzmir, but throughout Türkiye.