Ilay Karateke is the co-founder and CEO of BEZI—that makes labneh, a Mediterranean dairy dip, in plain, everything, and red pepper flavors. BEZI launched in September 2024, retail first—starting with local favorite grocery stores in NYC.. BEZI dreams of making labneh a thing here in the US.She is an Istanbul-raised, New York-based, ex-McKinsey consultant turned labneh lady. She grew up in a large family, with their lives punctuated by big family-style meals shared with friends and neighbors. Labneh was ever-present in her upbringing, alongside homemade breads and seasonal produce.Once she moved to New York, Ilay longed for a taste of home and was inspired to introduce labneh she grew up with to not just friends and family but to the US grocery stores in her Turkish New Yorker way. She partnered with Hasan, her friend and the heir to Bahçıvan Dairy, her childhood favorite cheese company. So they took it upon themselves to bring BEZI—the labneh that labnehs better than any other labneh out there… familiarized enough for the American consumer, everything and red pepper flavored, rich in protein, and low in tang.Within 8 months of operations, BEZI currently sells all around NYC, recently expanded to SF and LA, and growing!