The Women’s Entrepreneurs Cooperative held its first general assembly.

The S.S. Sidelya Women’s Initiative Production and Business Cooperative, which started its activities by producing artificial flowers in Denizli, held its first general assembly. Cooperative President Ayşegül Çetin Candoğan stated that they have started selling their artificial flowers abroad, which they initially dreamed of, saying, “Due to the high volume of orders, there are times when we can’t keep up.”

In the Merkezefendi district of Denizli, the flower arrangement profession, which started at the Public Education Center, received intense interest from housewives and retirees. After their artificial flowers gained high demand, nine friends decided to establish the S.S. Sidelya Women’s Initiative Production and Business Cooperative. The flowers, which are meticulously crafted by female entrepreneurs, are used in many places across the city, including wedding halls and items used in marriage proposals and vehicle decorations. The first general assembly meeting of the Sidelya Women’s Initiative and Production and Business Cooperative was held.

At the first general assembly meeting of the cooperative, the Denizli Chamber of Commerce (DTO) and the Denizli Union of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (DESOB) supported the women entrepreneurs.
“We held the first general assembly of our cooperative”
Ayşegül Çetin Candoğan, President of the S.S. Sidelya Women’s Initiative Production and Business Cooperative, noted that they have made progress in artificial flower production, which they started about four months ago, and that they sometimes struggle to meet the high volume of orders. “We established our cooperative about a month ago. Actually, our story began four months ago. I was a teacher at the Public Education Center, and I was making the flowers we now produce together with my students. We thought, why not do this as a business? Then, we discussed it with my friends and agreed. Nine friends decided to establish our cooperative. Our cooperative was established on September 26. Today we are here to hold the first general assembly of our cooperative. In this assembly, we selected our presidents, assistants, board of directors, and audit committee. Together with my friends, we make flowers for event companies on demand. At the same time, we design for hotels and different textile companies. We have meetings, and we learned that one of the companies we will work with has fairs in Germany. We will make flowers to decorate their stand for use at the fair with their natural linen fabric. Half of our orders are used in hotel rooms and places like wedding halls. We make wedding favors and bridal bouquets, among other things. Our product range is very broad. Thankfully, our business is increasing significantly. There are times when we can’t keep up. Therefore, we need teammates and friends who will help us as members of our cooperative,” she said.

“Our cooperative was a dream for us”
Zehra Issı, who started this job after working as a kindergarten teacher and mentioned that they have requests for the flowers they produce from abroad, said, “I was working as a teacher in a kindergarten and then left that job. My sister informed me about this place on her recommendation. Then I found the work we do enjoyable and continued with it. Our cooperative was a dream for us. Now we produce flowers for export. This way, we see what women are capable of.”

“We are always beside women entrepreneurs”
Yunus Emre Gönç, General Secretary of DESOB, stated that they are happy and supportive regarding the spread of women entrepreneurs and women across wide sectors, saying, “We are participating in the general assembly of a newly established cooperative. They are producing artificial materials. We are there to support such an initiative both as an institution and as new entrepreneurs. The increase in our women entrepreneurs and women workers, the rise of our employers, and their spread across various sectors make us very happy.”

“Our women add color with their entrepreneurship, scented room fragrances, and artificial flowers”
Melek Sözkesen Kartay, Deputy Chairperson of the DTO, stated that they are always supportive of women’s cooperatives and are discussing what more they can do together with women entrepreneurs, saying, “Today, as a woman, we attended to support the women’s cooperative. Today, there is the general assembly of the Sidelya Women’s Cooperative. As the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, we try to support our women entrepreneurs and cooperatives in every way possible, both financially and morally. Generally, our women cooperatives are established on food and beverage. Today, our women are making flowers here. Their common point is that all of them have a certain level of craftsmanship and manual skills. Another common point among these women is that some are retirees who prefer to come here instead of sitting idle at home. They are debating among themselves how they can contribute to the national economy by being productive instead of sitting idle at home. They are making very beautiful and enjoyable flowers. These flowers are made for use on candle holders or room fragrances. It is a women’s cooperative that we value. Today, we are sitting down to think about what more we can do.”