Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer posted a photo Wednesday with Ahmet Cickmaz, managing director of Kahraman Agro, announcing the Dubai-based nut processor has chosen Fresno for expansion. Mayor Dyer photo

An international agriculture company based in the United Arab Emirates appears to be expanding its reach into the Central Valley with a Fresno location.

On Tuesday, Jerry Dyer’s social media pages posted a photo of the mayor with Ahmet Cickmaz, managing director at Kahraman Agro DMCC, a Dubai-based company that procures and processes local crops in various countries, including nuts (particularly pistachios), dried fruits and sesame seeds.

“So thankful that Kahraman, an international processing company, has chosen Fresno as a place to expand its Dubai operations. Thank you, Ahmet, for choosing Fresno,” Dyer wrote in his post.

Todd Cook, CEO and president of Cook Land Co. in Fresno, was also present at the meeting, according to the mayor.

 

 Local officials including Dyer were set to gather Wednesday morning for another successful project — the groundbreaking of the $100 million speculative warehouse by Indiana-based Scannell Properties near Marks Avenue just north of Highway 180.

According to records with the California Secretary of State, Kahraman Agro, Inc., filed its articles of incorporation on July 18 with a principal address of 2754 Business Park Ave. in Fresno.

The two-acre lot at 2754 Business Park Ave. features a light industrial shell building built by Cook Land Co. near Fowler and Shields avenues.

Founded in 1976, Kahraman Agro DMCC on its website lists processing facilities in Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Dubai and Kyrgyzstan.

Cook Land Company built the facility within the Airways East Business Park and aggressively recruited the firm to fill the space. 

The 25,000 square-foot facility is expected to be operational by October, Dyer said in an interview Wednesday.

 “It is a truly wonderful time for our community. We were thrilled to recruit and are proud to welcome Kahraman Agro to the Central Valley as they drive their first stake into the ground in the United States,” said Cook. “We look forward to seeing them bolster Fresno’s local economy and strengthen their ties with the region’s farmers.”