Today we’d like to introduce you to Elif Dilekoglu Nuriye Taskin.
Hi Elif Dilekoglu, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I moved to North Carolina, we were looking to buy a house, and I was searching for a real estate agent. By coincidence, I came across Elif’s business card at a Turkish market. I took her card immediately—there were other cards there, too, but I chose hers. That’s how we crossed paths. What started with buying a house turned into a wonderful friendship. In the meantime, I had met Gizem Salcigil White from Turkish Coffee Lady in Virginia. They had come to North Carolina to promote Turkish coffee. I went to see them, and when Gizem said, “We’re going to start franchising,” that was a turning point for me. This was an idea I’d had in mind for years but had never dared to act on. I knew I wouldn’t embark on this journey alone—it wasn’t easy for me. But the first person who came to mind was Elif. I brought the idea to Elif right away. Since Elif’s husband, Onur, was also from this sector, they were immediately supportive of my idea, and thankfully, they didn’t leave me alone in this. That’s how we began. We founded our company, and after quite a long journey, we managed to open the Apex branch of Turkish Coffee Lady—thank goodness. Our biggest desire within this dream was to be able to help people. When we founded our company, there had just been a major earthquake in Türkiye, and the need to help those affected strengthened this idea for us. This was something we had in mind, and we joined hands with Elif to open our café so we could help more people. We’re nearing the end of our second year, and I hope everything will be even better. We continue working hard. When guests come to our café, what we want most is for them to feel at home. Because we don’t see them as customers—they are our guests.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, opening the café wasn’t easy at all. Especially at the start, I learned that I had cancer. The treatment lasted at least three to four months. But in the meantime, thankfully, Elif was a huge support to me. Gizem was also a huge support. Meanwhile, we kept looking for our café location. Of course, from the outside, this all seems easy, but even finding a café space wasn’t easy. First, we had to choose a city. But even in the city we chose, finding a vacant spot and getting a permit was very difficult. We went through quite a challenging trial. It took us nearly two years. But in the meantime, we attended festivals, places where we were invited. We joined them, and we had already started to introduce ourselves. People were very excited. Those who came to festivals and bought coffee and baklava from us would ask, “Where is your café?” For us, that was actually a motivation. Thanks to Elif, we found our place—in Apex. Actually, it was quite a hidden area. But we truly worked hard to make it known. Thankfully, we saw the results of our efforts. Now more people know us. There are people who come here just for us—some coming from an hour away. In other words, we could say these difficulties actually motivated us. Because we also faced many other challenges, but we believe we overcame all of them together. I hope everything will get even better!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Turkish Coffee Lady NC owner Nuriye Taskin holds Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara ,capital of Turkey. After graduated, she worked in different industries in sales and purchasing departments. In 2004 she moved to US with her husband, her daughter Aslınur and her son Emre. Mrs. Taskin worked as a coordinator at Turkish Community Center in Lanham, MD for two years, then worked as a substitute teacher at Hollywood Academy of Art and Science Charter School in Miami, FL. She loves cooking. As a Turkish coffee lover, to be a good cultural ambassador and to promote Turkish culture in America , she decided to join Turkish Coffee Lady Family on December 2022.
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Turkish Coffee Lady NC owner Elif Dilekoglu has a Bachelor degree in Economics. After graduating, she worked in various positions along with as a Paralegal in a NC Real Estate Law office. Her background along with her knowledge in Real Estate legal transaction processes led her to get a real estate broker license. Mrs Dilekoglu has been living in Cary area for over 13 years. Throughout these years, she and her husband, Onur Dilekoglu , worked together at their family’s restaurant business. She and her husband were passionate about opening their own coffee shop. In order to pursue their dream they decided to become a part of the Turkish Coffee Lady.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The industry clearly shows that in recent years, we have moved towards healthy consumption. Our forecast is that especially the new generation will definitely gravitate towards very healthy—sugar-free coffee consumption—and diversifying this while also leaning towards healthy pastries, savory pastries, and desserts with fresh high-quality ingredients. From this standpoint, we can say that our menu already contains nothing unhealthy.Research suggests that moderate, unsweetened coffee consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle. That being the case, we look quite positively towards the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.turkishcoffeeladync.com
