Kahramanmaraş's digital trade potential
Kahramanmaraş is one of Türkiye's largest textile and yarn production centres; on its own it accounts for roughly 35 per cent of the country's yarn output and a significant share of its textile exports. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of yarn and tens of millions of metres of woven and denim fabric are produced each year; the city sits at a strategic point in the upstream of Türkiye's textile chain.
Beyond textiles the industrial base is varied: metal kitchenware, food manufacturing, gold jewellery and footwear make up the city's other strong production lines. The manufacturing range runs from sacks to cookware and from yarn to ready-made garments, and much of it works for export.
The city's face to the world is its ice cream: Kahramanmaraş ice cream has industrialised and crossed the country's borders, exported above all to the United States and neighbouring countries. Maraş pepper, tarhana and other regional foods are equally suited to branding and to e-commerce built on geographical indications.
The export base is strong: hundreds of exporting companies sell worldwide, led by textiles and ready-made garments. The newly established Textile Specialised Organised Industrial Zone (OSB) aims to take the sector to a higher level, targeting tens of thousands of jobs and higher value-added production.
The city is in a strong recovery and reconstruction phase after the 2023 earthquake; industrial output and exports regained momentum within a short period. Construction, building materials and logistics are also active, and the ground is favourable for brands to reposition themselves more strongly online.
Despite this production strength, many companies remain subcontractors or intermediate-goods manufacturers, without their own brand, a multilingual corporate site or direct buyer relationships. Valuable products, from yarn to ice cream, are often sold unbranded. The right brand and B2B digital set-up can connect that strength to direct, higher-margin exports.