Our story
Built on the ground in Istanbul.
Defi Trade Partners began in 2014 as a small desk doing one thing well: helping foreign buyers source Turkish goods without getting burned. A decade on, we run a two-way trade practice, importing Turkish production for buyers abroad and opening export markets for Turkish manufacturers.
We stayed deliberately independent. We take no commission from suppliers and keep no catalogue to push. Our only job is to represent the client across the table, from the first price list to the delivered pallet.
That independence is also why our reach is wider than most. Alongside the European and Gulf lanes everyone works, we built a quiet corridor through the Indian Ocean, a Port Louis representative desk that lets Turkish goods ride Mauritius's web of African and South Asian trade agreements into markets most exporters write off as too hard.
What we stand for
Independent
Paid by you, not by suppliers. Every recommendation is in your interest.
On the ground
We visit the factories we recommend. No sourcing from a screen.
Accountable
One named contact owns your project from brief to delivery.
Far-reaching
Routes into Africa and Asia that go beyond the usual trade lanes.
The team
People you will actually deal with.
Deniz Arslanoglu
Managing Partner · Istanbul
Deniz founded Defi Trade Partners in 2014 after fifteen years moving goods for Turkish manufacturers and foreign buyers. He still runs the hardest negotiations himself and believes a trade advisor is only as good as the last container delivered.
Elif Karahan
Head of Export Strategy · Istanbul
Elif helps Turkish producers find and win buyers abroad. A former trade-fair organiser, she reads export markets for a living and has opened lanes into Europe, the Gulf and West Africa for clients who were told it could not be done.
Marc Perrier
Director, Indian Ocean & Africa Desk · Port Louis
Based in Port Louis, Marc runs the firm's Indian Ocean corridor. He grew up between Mauritius and Marseille and spent a decade in freight forwarding, which is why routing a Turkish shipment into a landlocked African market rarely surprises him.
Burak Yildirim
Logistics & Customs Lead · Mersin
Burak keeps shipments moving. Working out of the port city of Mersin, he handles Incoterms, documentation, freight booking and the customs paperwork that trips up most first-time traders. His rule: no surprise at the border.
Ayse Demir
Trade Compliance Advisor · Istanbul
Ayse makes sure every deal stands up to scrutiny. She advises on certificates of origin, product standards, sanctions screening and the compliance detail that protects a buyer long after the goods arrive.
Okan Sahin
Sourcing & Quality Manager · Bursa
Okan walks the factory floors so clients do not have to. From his base in Bursa, a manufacturing heartland, he vets suppliers, pulls samples and runs pre-shipment inspections across textiles, machinery and more.
How we charge. For buyers we work on a transparent retainer or a per-project fee agreed before anything begins, never a hidden markup on your goods. For Turkish exporters we offer a success-based option tied to orders we actually open. Either way, you always know what you are paying and why.