Kazim Emin Bey [Turmak] (1874, Salonica - 1951, Brussels) was a prominent Kapandji Donme, one of the biggest tobacco merchants, and the founder of the legendary TURMAC (Turkish-Macedonian Tobacco Company). He made significant contributions to the economic landscape of the Ottoman Empire, Europe, and the early Turkish Republic. Born into a wealthy Kapandji family, his mother was Aliye Hanım (1858-1941). In 1900, he married Vesile Melek Turmak (1885-1946), with whom he had two children: a son, Nezir Turmak, and a daughter, Melek Turmak (1915-1980). His professional network extended to family ties, as Vesile Hanım's brother, Edib Izzet Seker, was also his business partner. The family legacy continued through Vesile Hanım’s family, the Seker, Sekerzades, and Sekerler in present time.

Author: Cengiz Şişman