In Kastamonu, a mother and daughter have been supporting their household for 11 years by working together at a restaurant they established in their village with state support. The restaurant, where the mother and daughter prepare meals using products grown in their greenhouse, receives significant interest from customers.
Hatice Beltekoğlu (62) and her daughter Fatma Duman (44), who live in Gölköy village, part of the central district, learned in 2015 that the Agricultural and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK) was providing 50% grant support to young female entrepreneurs. Hatice Beltekoğlu and her daughter Fatma Duman, who had previously engaged in greenhouse farming in their village, decided to establish a restaurant where they could prepare meals using the vegetables and fruits they grew. The application prepared by the mother and daughter to TKDK was accepted. With the support they received, the mother and daughter built the restaurant in their village, approximately 7 kilometers from the city center, and have been earning their livelihood through the meals they prepare for about 11 years. Throughout the day, Hatice Beltekoğlu and Fatma Duman both serve customers who come to the restaurant and send meals to workplaces upon request.
Stating that she is very keen on farming and loves the activity, Hatice Beltekoğlu said she has tried many jobs to date: "I've tried all kinds of work. I did animal husbandry, I did greenhouse farming. I was the first person in Kastamonu to do seedling production and large-scale greenhouse farming. I am an exemplary farmer. Our greenhouses and our lands became old. Because they became old, we decided to change our line of work."
"When we started this business, we had nothing."
Explaining that they decided to open a restaurant after learning about state support, Beltekoğlu said, "We went to TKDK for young female entrepreneur support, and they said, 'we provide support.' So, we decided to go into the restaurant business. Of course, we built our restaurant under very difficult conditions. When we started, we had nothing, we had no money. We built it with TKDK's support. Now we serve the public, and everyone is happy."
"I use the products I get from the greenhouses in the restaurant."
Stating that they produce most of the products they use in the restaurant themselves, Beltekoğlu said, "I use the products I get from the greenhouses in the restaurant. They are completely natural, without any pesticides. I grow them naturally without adding chemicals. I make natural pesticides with my own means. For example, I treat damage from aphids with things like ash. I use cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans – everything in the restaurant without pesticides."
Beltekoğlu also stated that they cater to different organizations at the restaurant, saying, "Daily, 50 to 60 people come. Sometimes there's a request for a mawlid meal, sometimes for a wedding meal. Requests for meals for group organizations come in. It gets crowded sometimes. We try to do good things. We serve iftar during Ramadan."
Emphasizing the importance of state support for them, Beltekoğlu said, "May God bless the state; we received a lot of support, they gave us grants. We built this place entirely by utilizing the grant. Our state provided 50% support, and we paid 50%. If it weren't for that, we couldn't have done it. We did it under difficult conditions. My daughter and I went through tough times together."
Fatma Duman, on the other hand, stated that they prepared the project after her mother heard about TKDK's support, saying, "We started this business in my mid-30s. It's both a restaurant and a bakery, combined. We did it with TKDK's support. My mother heard that TKDK had support. Then she came and shared her idea, saying we should also do a business. After that, we went and prepared a project for TKDK. Our project was approved. We started the construction phase. We struggled a lot during the construction phase. It was November, December of 2014. The construction was quite intense. There were days when my mother and I hugged each other and cried. But still, we succeeded, we managed it. We started with breakfast. Currently, we also provide set menu meal services. We send meals to tradesmen and friends in the industrial zone. We serve our customers who come here. We make village bread. Many people appreciate it. There are those who didn't believe we would succeed, who congratulate us saying, 'Well done, you succeeded, we didn't expect it.' We also plan to expand as much as we can."
Abdullah Yılmaz, who visited the restaurant, noted his satisfaction with the business being run by a mother and daughter, saying, "This restaurant is run by a mother and daughter. They send bread from here to Kastamonu. People there are also happy. The bread here is plain, with no additives. They produce the bread themselves. They make it with sourdough, without additives, not using any external yeast." - KASTAMONU