Meet the Members: Hamdo, a Syrian Entrepreneur Building a Network in Turkey


Name: Hamdo Hussain
Business: Natural Charcoal Production
Cohort: 3rd Cohort, Mersin
Home Country: Syria


Hamdo Hussain started working in a food business while living in Syria before the start of the conflict. He worked both in the vegetable trade and frequently assisted his brother who worked in selling coal.

Five years ago, when Hamdo moved to Turkey from his home country of Syria, he started several business ventures in both food and coal, all of which faced challenges due the economic and security situations in the area. Hamdo was convinced that working alone would not allow him to reach his goal of launching a successful food business so he joined the LIFE Project in Mersin to connect with other entrepreneurs in the area.

For Hamdo, the LIFE Project was the perfect opportunity to be exposed to other entrepreneurial ideas and find a community of like-minded business people also interested in launching their food businesses in the Turkish market. Throughout the entrepreneur incubation program, Hamdo was especially interested in learning about business accounting and the LIFE Project specialized business skills courses taught him key insights such as when exporting food products, 18% of the total costs are repaid by the government.

After his experience in the LIFE Project, Hamdo has started his own business exporting coal and has built up a network of over 30 restaurants as his first customers.

Are you interested in Hamdo’s story or see potential in his business as an investor? Email the LIFE Project to be connected at lifeproject@cipe.org.