Distributor in Turkey relaunches after lockdown prompts surge in Jesmonite sales

A distributor of Jesmonite in Turkey has relaunched after sales ‘went crazy’ during lockdown. Kutlar Ltd, a family business since 1987, had so many calls about Jesmonite during the past year that they have decided to relaunch a distribution system which first started in 2013. And their customer base has completely changed. Previously Kutlar Ltd sold Jesmonite in mass quantities to factories for the architectural industry – now their customer base is mainly creatives using Jesmonite to make homeware. Even traditional Turkish ceramic artists are now in touch asking how they can use Jesmonite. Emre Kutlar and Burak Uluşahin are both very much enjoying the reborn interest in a product they love.

Emre said: “While everyone has been at home I got a call from someone asking for AC100 and I had no stock here.

“I found someone who’d bought some previously but not used it, since then it has escalated like crazy.

“We wondered what we were going to do, people want more and more and more and more. They watch YouTube, Pinterest, tutorials of how to do it and we now have a very solid customer base.

“Historically we were not so much in touch with creative people and artists, but we have built up a good relationship because we know how to use the material.

“Many people do not technically know how to use it to start with so they need hints and tips but thankfully you don’t need much knowledge to use Jesmonite, you can learn very quickly.

“It is nice talking to people and we are happy to speak to people – we don’t just bring in the material, sell it and forget, we want to be in touch with the people and create solutions for them.”

Kutlar Ltd has a long history with Jesmonite. They won best newcomer for construction material from a respected architectural website for AC730 in 2013 and have over 20 years experience in architectural concrete. But because it was expensive to bring the material from the UK to Turkey, business slowed down and they stopped selling Jesmonite in 2017.

“We were surprised to see the growth again and now we are trying to keep up,” Burak added.

“We sell all the material and then it arrives here at the moment, not the other way around.

“The only barrier for Jesmonite is people’s imagination. The material is very versatile and gives people lots of freedom to make lots of things.

“We are trying to push people out of their boundaries and try new things, not limit themselves.

“People are really willing to use it and ready to spend money on it because they see what can be done with it.

“Customers always tell us they are amazed by the material and like how eco-friendly it is with a zero carbon footprint and zero VOC – I also get asked if it is vegan.”

Over the years Burak and Emre have seen Jesmonite used in Turkey for facades of buildings, interior design items, furniture like tables and kitchen countertops, wash basins and now smaller items like trays and jewellery. They are eager for Jesmonite to create supplementary products too, believing that a food safe product would open up a whole new market and Burak is researching chemicals for this himself. For more information about Turkish distributor Kutlar Ltd, drop them an Email.