In the not-too-distant future, a 16-acre patch of ground just off Hecktown Road on the border of Lower Nazareth and Bethlehem townships will be one of the sweetest places in the Lehigh Valley.
Ground was broken Thursday morning by Kervan USA for its future headquarters and manufacturing site, which will be about 90,000 square feet. The Turkish candy company, which specializes in gummies, licorice and marshmallow sweets, is investing nearly $20 million and plans to employ about 50 people.
“Everything will be consolidated here under one roof, and we will have the warehouse storage activities,” said Kervan USA Chief Financial Officer Gokhan Kacmaz. “But also we will have, initially, some packaging activities. Then in a couple of years, we plan to have full-fledged manufacturing activities here in the United States.”
Kervan, which produces the Bebeto and Yumy Yumy brands, sells its products through national chains such as Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Dollar Tree and Dollar General. It also makes Crayola-branded candy for the Forks Township-based arts and crafts company.
Kacmaz says the company makes a profit of around $50 million in the U.S. and its products are sold in about 70% of the country.
The Istanbul-based company first came to the Lehigh Valley in 2011 with its first headquarters in Bethlehem, later moving to Whitehall Township in 2017. It has packaging facilities in New Jersey. The consolidated headquarters and manufacturing site, which is being built by Forge39 Construction and designed by Alloy5, is expected to be up and running in early 2026.
Candy sold in the U.S. is currently imported from Kervan’s other plants in Turkey, Poland or Egypt. Much of the production for American customers will be moved to the Lehigh Valley. Kacmaz said the goal is to reach about $200 million in sales.
It’s a good time to invest in the U.S. market, according to the National Confectioners Association. The group expects domestic candy manufacturing to grow into a $70 billion industry by 2029.
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Employees of Kervan USA and Forge39 Inc. particpate in the groundbreaking of Kervan’s new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. ( (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Employees of Kervan USA and Forge39 Inc. particpate in the groundbreaking of Kervan’s new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. ( (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Tina Smith, director of Community & Economic Development for Northampton County, shakes hands with Gokhan Kacmaz, chief financial officer for Kervan USA on Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Lower Nazareth Township during the groundbreaking ceremony for Kervan’s new U.S. headquarters. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Gokhan Kacmaz, chief financial officer for Kervan USA, speaks alongside Eric Riedinger of construction management company Forge39 Inc. on Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Lower Nazareth Township during the groundbreaking ceremony for Kervan’s new U.S. headquarters. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
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Kervan USA breaks ground on its new U.S. headquarters Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Lower Nazareth Township. A producer and exporter of bulk gummy candy in Turkey, Kervan expanded to the United States in 2011. Its current headquarters is located in Whitehall Township. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
CEO Burak Cezik said locating the expanded facility in the Valley was an easy decision.
“We were living in the area, and we liked that it is growing and attracting population,” he said. “The workforce is good, so we just had to invest here instead of going to another place.”
Another reason was the Lehigh Valley’s proximity to the port in Newark, New Jersey.
“The towns were really welcoming, so that was key,” Kacmaz said, “and also the proximity to the ports, especially Newark ports, because almost all of our products are shipped there. That made it really feasible.”
Lower costs, when compared to New Jersey, were also a factor.
“Of course we did the math,” Kacmaz said. “We could be in Jersey City, much closer, but then we would be paying a very significant premium. When you look at the value for the money, this location made perfect sense for proximity to the port, and also the workforce. It’s a really great place to make this investment.”
Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.
Originally Published: June 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM EDT
