Introduce yourself to readers in 1-3 sentences:

Ilay:

A McKinsey consultant turned into a cheesemaker! Istanbul raised, New Yorker at heart, I enjoy building communities through sharing food and hosting dinner parties at my home aka Cafe Ilay

Hasan:

A total dairy tech enthusiast! A Berkeley-trained engineer, I come from one of Turkey's largest cheesemaking families, with a legacy spanning over 60 years.

Tell me about the origin story of Bezi!

Ilay:

Five years ago, I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by McKinsey to attend business school. That opportunity allowed me to pursue something “crazy” for my summer internship—making cheese! I worked at a ricotta maker in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and then spent time on a farm in the Mediterranean learning to milk cows and sheep and make cheese from scratch. I worked on developing my healthy cream cheese recipe during my second year of business school, but I didn’t have the courage (or the finances) to pursue it at the time.

I set the idea aside until I met my co-founder at my last job as head of merchandising at Getir. Hasan is the heir to one of the largest cheesemaking families in Turkey. It’s no surprise we immediately bonded over cheese, and after working together for a year, we decided to join forces and make labneh a thing!

For any readers that aren’t aware…what is labneh?

Great question! Labneh is a Middle Eastern cheese that’s made from milk, cream and cultures. It’s traditionally used as a breakfast food and also served as a dip next to hummus!

Some define it as “strained yogurt”, which is absolutely not true for all labnehs!

What makes Bezi different from other labneh dips?

The way we make it! Our recipe starts with fresh, non-GMO milk from our farms, delivered that very day. We pasteurize the milk and then pass it through three levels of membranes to remove the water and lactose. This process is known as ultrafiltration.

Thanks to ultrafiltration, there’s less lactose in the milk, which means less fermentation with the culture. As a result, our labneh isn’t as tangy as other labnehs; it has a softer taste, somewhere between yogurt and cream cheese. It pairs perfectly with strawberries or garlic crackers.

Because of this process, our labneh contains 120% more protein than other ethnic labnehs on the market. Plus, it has similar protein content to hummus but with nearly 50% fewer calories!

What’s a recipe that everyone needs to try with Bezi?

Ilay:

Ah, tough one, but here are my two levels of recipes based on your willingness to cook!

You absolutely don’t need to be a chef to create something special with BEZI. This is how I've been enjoying it recently:

YOU DON’T LIKE COOKING:

Spread BEZI Everything on your favorite bagel, and top with optional lox for a savory, high-protein breakfast.

Cut your seasonal peaches and dip them into BEZI Plain for a no-added-sugar, protein-dense dessert.

YOU LIKE COOKING:

Make meatballs and serve them on a bed of BEZI Red Pepper labneh. Top with some green herb oil.

Roast your peaches, make your favorite crumble, and serve it with a dollop of BEZI Plain labneh for dessert.

Where do you see Bezi in 5 years? In 10 years?

We would love to make labneh a thing all around! Imagine people across different states enjoying BEZI, bringing a healthy and special touch to their everyday dishes. How amazing would that be?

What are some brands and founders that inspire you?

Melanie Masarin, founder of Ghia, with her remarkable vision for brand building, and Mark Ramadan, co-founder of Sir Kensington's, known for scaling a brand to national prominence—these two founders embody the spectrum of excellence we aim to achieve with BEZI.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but can we expect an expansion of Bezi flavors anytime soon? (Any hints?)

YES!

We are launching in all major local chains in New York this September with our Plain, Red Pepper, and Everything flavors—ones we're absolutely obsessed with and hope everyone will love and use in all their dishes!

Because BEZI has such a versatile taste profile, we’re currently developing a sweet, no-sugar-added flavor. I’ve already tried it in my kitchen, and it's phenomenal! We're looking to launch it in 2025.