We recently connected with Gizem Salcigil White and have shared our conversation below.

Gizem, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My journey with Turkish coffee started from the heart, not from a business plan. Growing up in Ankara, Türkiye, Turkish coffee was always about connection, sitting together, sharing stories, and slowing down. When I moved to the U.S. in 2005 as a student, I realized that this centuries-old coffee ritual was invisible. Coffee felt fast and too commercial, and I deeply missed that sense of warmth and togetherness.
In 2009, I decided to share this 500-year old tradition with my American friends and local ethnic communities through my non-profit Turkish Coffee Truck initiative. What started as a personal cultural mission turned into a global journey. I traveled across the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Türkiye for eight years, serving Turkish coffee samples to thousands while fostering cultural bridges through coffee conversations. This volunteer-led project received a congressional recognition in 2012 from the U.S. Congress, and was featured in major local and international news outlets. The Washington Post called me the “Turkish Coffee Lady” as I continued to serve Turkish coffee at major events such as local festivals, trade shows, conventions, and community events around the DMV area.
In 2017, with the support of my mentor Ahmet Şerif İzgören, I founded my small business, Turkish Coffee Lady, to create a true cultural home, a place that transports people to magical Turkish cities and brings that sense of connection to life. I truly believe that coffee is not just a drink, it’s a universal language of connection, culture, and spiritual healing. That’s why today, my team and I focus on creating cultural wellness and authentic experiences for our community members at our Old Town Alexandria and Apex, North Carolina locations. In March 2020, I also established the Turkish Coffee Lady Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and empowering women entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.

What excites me the most is that we are building a unique women-empowering brand that bridges cultures through coffee diplomacy and creates human connection one cup at a time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Gizem Salcigil White, also known as the Turkish Coffee Lady, and I’ve been on a 16+ year journey to share the beauty and depth of 500-year-old Turkish coffee culture with the world. Turkish coffee is the world’s first brewing method in history and the genesis of nearly all coffee cultures today.
What started in 2009 with a small idea grew into the Turkish Coffee Truck, a traveling cultural diplomacy project that took me across the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Türkiye. Through those journeys, I didn’t just serve coffee; I shared stories, traditions, and ancient rituals that bring people together.
In 2017, I founded Turkish Coffee Lady, which now has locations in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and Apex, North Carolina. But we are not just a coffee shop, we are a culture, art, and cuisine house. Every detail of our space is thoughtfully designed to transport our guests to Istanbul and other historic Turkish cities and offer an immersive, meaningful experience.
What makes us unique is how we combine tradition with purpose. As a women-owned business, we curate everything with love and care from our traditional gourmet pastries & desserts to our healthy beverage offerings. We also offer Turkish coffee fortune readings, an ancient wisdom that brings reflection, positive guidance, and emotional connection to each cup. It’s not just about the coffee; it’s about storytelling, mindfulness, and personal insight. We also highlight the health benefits of Turkish coffee, a slow cooking method which is rich in antioxidants and prepared in its most natural, unfiltered form preserving both its flavor and nutritional value.
At the heart of everything we do is a community-first approach. We’ve created a space where people can slow down, connect, reflect, and feel a sense of belonging. In a world that often feels disconnected, we offer something deeper what I call “cultural wellness”. What sets us apart is that we are not just serving a product, we are creating personal experiences while helping others with emotional and spiritual health.
What I am most proud of is building not just a coffee business, but a bridge between centuries-old culture and modern wellness innovation. Inspired by the 500-year-old Turkish coffee rituals, I saw an opportunity to reimagine this experience for today’s fast-paced world. That’s how my team and I invented the world’s first iced Turkish coffee RTD: a functional product that offers a new cultural wellness experience while preserving the rich flavor, heritage, and meaning behind the centuries-old ritual.
At the same time, we extended this ritual into the digital world through Coffee Sayer, our AI-powered platform that transforms the tradition of coffee fortune reading into daily guidance and emotional reflection. Together, these innovations make the experience accessible anytime, anywhere, whether through a can in your hand or a moment of insight on your phone, turning a deeply rooted tradition into a modern, functional, and shareable wellness journey.
It’s not just an iced coffee; it’s a new category that brings together culture, culinary arts, and emotional connection in every can.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest challenges I faced was navigating the pandemic as a small, women-owned business built around human connection. Our entire concept is rooted in bringing people together, sharing coffee, stories, and culture in a physical space so when the world suddenly shut down, it was incredibly difficult to process the challenges ahead. We had to close our first brick-and-mortar store in Tysons Corner Center in May 2020, which was truly heartbreaking for me and our entire team.
There were moments of uncertainty, emotional stress, and financial pressure. But instead of giving up, we leaned into our purpose and created our own gourmet coffee line. We adapted by strengthening our community relationships, introducing new flavors, and finding creative ways to stay connected with our online customers.
What carried us through was our mission. We are a cultural home for people from all walks of life, and we value impact over profits. Our community showed up for us, and we showed up for them. That mutual support helped us not only survive, but rebuild stronger with even deeper meaning behind everything we do.
That experience taught me resilience, gratitude, and the importance of staying rooted in your “why,” especially during the most challenging times.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the most defining moments in my life was my journey as a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed right after I opened my first store and I had a four months old baby girl. I had to leave everything behind and received a chemotherapy treatment in my home country for six months followed by surgeries and radiation therapy.
It was a deeply emotional and transformative experience that changed the way I see life, business, and purpose. During that time, I was forced to slow down, reflect, and truly understand what matters most, mental health, spiritual health, time, connection, and living with intention.
It also gave me a new level of strength and clarity. I realized that everything I was building with Turkish Coffee Lady was bigger than business. It was about creating moments of joy, healing, and connection for others something I personally needed during my own healing journey.
Surviving breast cancer made me more resilient, more grateful, and more committed to my mission. Today, I pour that energy into everything I do creating a safe space where people can feel seen, supported, and connected. We should always follow our cultural purpose with courage, passion, and heart.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.turkishcoffeelady.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turkishcoffeelady
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turkishcoffeelady
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/turkish-coffee-lady/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TRCoffeeLady
• Youtube: @TurkishCoffeeLady_USA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/turkish-coffee-lady-alexandria?osq=turkish+coffee+lady
• Soundcloud: www.tiktok.com/turkishcoffeelady

Image Credits

Gizem Salcigil White