Farmasi to create hundreds of jobs at new Doral facility

Turkish cosmetics company Farmasi plans to hire hundreds of employees in Doral after it builds a new North American headquarters, a company official said.

The 80,000-square-foot facility would be the biggest step in the company’s rapid growth here. Sinan Tuna, CEO of Farmasi’s North American operations, said it has about 200 employees in its leased facilities in Doral now, and it hopes to reach 500 employees in three years.

“By 2025, we want to be the leading direct sales beauty products company in the United States,” Tuna said.

It’s not off to a bad start. After entering the U.S. market in early 2019, it now has a half-million people who sell its products through the direct sales model.

Farmasi dates back to 1950, when it was founded in Istanbul by Tuna's grandfather, Dr. C. Tuna. Its products include skin care, makeup, wipes and hair care manufactured in Turkey. It incorporated a direct sales model in Turkey in 2010, leading to rapid growth, and later expanded it to numerous countries in Eastern Europe, Tuna said.

A third-generation leader in the business, the 24-year-old Tuna said he wants to make Farmasi a top global beauty brand and that means it must enter the huge U.S. market. He picked Miami for its convenient shipping between Turkey and the Americas, among other factors.

“Miami has great culture and diversity,” Tuna said. “After Covid-19 started, Miami and Florida are the hottest places in the country. Everybody is trying to move to Florida, and especially South Florida.”

Farmasi acquired 3.72-acres at 10751 N.W. 25th St. for $6 million in October. Tuna said he plans to break ground on the North American headquarters and distribution center in May and complete it in early 2022.

The facility will house, administration, a customer service center, and distribution. In addition to serving the U.S., Farmasi will use the facility as a launching point to Mexico and Canada, Tuna said.

“Even though we are a startup in the U.S., what made us successful is financial strength,” Tuna said. “If you expect to double sales in three months, you need a lot of stock [inventory]. We didn’t need a bank. We made investments with our own capital. We own a 2.5-million-square-foot campus in Istanbul, so it’s very fast to produce it and send it by air shipment.”

Cosmetics isn’t the only business the Tuna family is focused on. Tuna said he’s so bullish on South Florida that he’s seeking to buy real estate, including raw land, in the Doral area.