Story of a Success

Niyazi Kurtsan was born in Gumulcine, Greece in 1925. During the II. World War, the Kurtsan family settled in Akhisar, Manisa and then moved to Izmir. Niyazi Kurtsan studied with state scholarship as a boarding school student in Afyon High School. Again with state scholarship, he completed the Faculty of Pharmacy in Istanbul University. Having a strong passion in art, Niyazi Kurtsan at the same time attended to the famous painter Cemal Tollu’ s workshop in the Academy of Fine Arts while studying in the Faculty of Pharmacy.

As he worked in private laboratories during the years of his study, Niyazi Kurtsan became familiar with this business and launched his first products such as tincture of iodine, cologne and corn plaster produced in the Alev Laboratory in Istanbul.

He set up his first pharmacy, called Gunes, in Kocamustafapasa. in 1955. He took over the “tenancy right” of a drug warehouse in a historical building belongs to Muhsinzade Mehmetpasa Trust in Sirkeci in 1965 and transformed it into a pharmacy called “Büyük”.
In 1969, his wife Mrs. Meral Kurtsan took over of the Buyuk Pharmacy and he established Kurtsan Pharmaceuticals as a joint stock company. Therefore, he gained the flexibility to make leaps forward and the ability needed to continuously expand the production business.
The reason for Mr. Kurtsan’s interest in “herbal medicines” goes back to the Rumelian days, to the traces of his childhood. He always kept in mind the curative effect on his wounds of the public medicine developed from natural herbs by his grandfather.

In 1980 the most obvious step on the path destined to the “Otacı” brand is taken with the “throat pastille” production.

The Euka-menthol pastille production was then followed by other herbal products. A wide natural product range under the name of “Otacı” developed. Otacı then proceeded with the production of diet food products.

The company grew out of the laboratory in Sirkeci in 1982. Therefore, a land in Merter was purchased to construct a new production plant. In 1985, Kurtsan Pharmaceuticals was moved to its new plant in Merter, Istanbul.

In 1989, business cooperation established with a German company, specialized in hospital supplies, culminated in the foundation of a new factory that was to be of an area of 5000 m2 over a land of 80000 m2 in Bandirma, Balikesir.

In 1990’s, Kurtsan group reached to a corporate structure of different companies based upon a professional management and the post-2000 period is turning point for the “preparation for the future” for being a global company.