HALKWEB- Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel announced last year that the coffee chain EspressoLab, which was included in the party's corporate “boycott list” last year, had been removed from the list. The main justification for this decision was that EspressoLab had committed to transfer a significant portion of its profits to the March 19 Fund, which was established to support students, workers and families who were adversely affected economically during the March 19 protests, as part of an agreement reached with the party. CHP leader Özel stated that this decision and its rationale were made public and left to the discretion of young people.
How did the Boycott Process Start?
After the March 19 protests, CHP leader Özgür Özel announced that he would be marking certain institutions with consumer boycotts in relation to economic and political pressures. EspressoLab was included in this list; Özel referred to the backlash against the brand for “monopolizing campuses and increasing its commercial activities aimed at young consumers”.
In a statement, EspressoLab denied the allegations of political connections, emphasizing that the company “makes coffee, not politics”.
Agreement and Delisting
As a result of subsequent negotiations between the CHP and EspressoLab, it was reported that a compromise was reached to transfer the profits from the company's stores on university campuses to the March 19th Fund. This announcement was made public by Özgür Özel at the Şişli rally, the 60th of the “Millet İradesine Sahip Çıkıyor” rallies, where the company was officially removed from the boycott list.
Free Coffee Catering at Beşiktaş Rally
One of the most tangible images of this process was the media coverage of EspressoLab's delivery of hundreds of free coffees at the CHP's “The Nation Possesses Its Will” rally in Beşiktaş. The name Özgür Özel was seen on the coffee cups.
Question Waiting for Answer: Has the money been transferred?
Although EspressoLab's commitment to make financial contributions in favor of the party in exchange for the deal has sparked public debate, no official and verifiable figures have been released so far on how much money or donations the company has actually transferred to CHP.
In the framework announced by the CHP leader, the amount and timing of the dividend to be transferred and the details on how the fund will be operated were not clearly disclosed to the public.
On the other hand, the company management denied the allegation of such an agreement.
For this reason, no independent, transparent and verified calculation of “how much money” EspressoLab has "transferred" to CHP to date is available in public sources.
If no such agreement was reached, it is a question mark why the company was removed from the list.
The entire boycott list announced by the CHP after the March 19 operations was recently suspended by Özgür Özel, saying “We are opening a new page in 2026’.