Turkey

Ibrahim Kemer

Ibrahim is a Brand Ambassador for LVMH in Turkey, of Kurdish heritage. Ibrahim’s introduction to the worlds of wine and hospitality came at a young age in rural Eastern Turkey, when he started working as a waiter in local restaurants to support his studies, learning in the process the rules of service and hospitality. He was mentored by one of Turkey’s first professional sommeliers, Suleyman Şen, whose support enabled Ibrahim to become a professional sommelier and go onto win the Best Young Sommelier in Turkey Award in 2014. Ibrahim’s position as Brand Ambassador has allowed him to take on “the role of trainer and educator in the wine sector”, which he finds “both formative and stimulating”, even if he misses the restaurant floor. In his own words: “it is always difficult for a sommelier to move away from the restaurant’s life”. Ibrahim aims to continue his path in wine education, with the eventual aim of achieving the Master Sommelier certification, so that he may “become a reference figure for the wine and spirits sector in my country (Turkey).”