Azersun Holding

Azersun Holding MMC is an Azerbaijani conglomerate that operates in the food production, retail, and farming sectors primarily in Azerbaijan but also in other CIS countries and the Middle East. Azersun is the largest food producer and exporter in Azerbaijan (with 28 food brands produced) and also engages in the trade of paper and packaging.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Azerbaijani government determined to establish an efficient private-sector food manufacturing capability so as to not rely on processed food imports. As existing food manufacturers were not prepared for the wave of international competition set off by Azerbaijan's independence, the industry was ripe for consolidation. Brothers Abdolbari Goozal (born 1949) and Hassan Gozal (both born in Iran to a Kurdish family that later moved to Turkey) saw an opportunity and set up a local branch office of their Unilever distributorship in Baku. They first began to distribute solely Unilever products and then added other brands and then secured a contract with Unilever to establish a manufacturing facility that was jointly owned. Eventually they branched out on their own and with the support of the government, they began to purchase, consolidate, and restructure existing Azerbaijani companies creating the first and largest Azerbaijani private food conglomerate.

In 1996, they established their trading company in Dubai.