First Take Hummus

While there were speculations in 2022 about a global chickpea shortage stemming from the war in Ukraine, hummus manufacturers are continuing to meet the growing demand for this increasingly popular dip and appetizer option. The hummus market is expected to gain traction globally due the growing number of consumers adopting vegan diets, particularly in Europe and North America, GlobeNewswire reported at the end of 2022.

Wild Garden Mediterranean Foods—Ziyad Brothers, home of the Wild Garden Mediterranean Foods brand of hummus, started out as a pita bread supplier in the 60s founded by brothers, Ahmad and Ibrahim Ziyad. Named Syrian Bakery & Grocery, Inc. at the time, the retail outlet was located on the Southside of Chicago. Specializing in artisanal hand-made pita bread and other bakery goods, Syrian Bakery & Grocery was the destination for Chicagoans looking for pita bread and Middle Eastern baked goods and specialty products.

In the 70s, the business grew to a warehouse at 21st and Western Avenue and the Ziyad brothers began supplying Midwest-based grocery chains, Jewel and Dominicks in addition to a few ethnic markets. Distribution reached 20 states by the 80s and the Ziyad brothers opened a warehouse to store their expanding inventory. The company expanded into markets outside of the Midwest and was dubbed the destination for middle eastern foods.

In 1995, the company operated a 15,000 square-foot facility in Cicero, IL. The location currently serves as company headquarters. The Ziyad team doubled and includes a sales and marketing arm and a distribution model to help mainstream grocery retailers infuse Middle Eastern products into their shelves. The Ziyad team also started exhibiting at tradeshows to spread awareness about their product portfolio to a wider audience. Ziyad Brothers currently operates three distribution centers in Cicero, IL; Kerney, NJ and Ontario, CA and distributes more than 1,500 products throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Its portfolio includes an expansive list of categories that consumers can find in leading grocery retailers. “Our passion for Mediterranean cuisine began in the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean,” said the company website. “A colorful region, where a brief encounter with a stranger can turn into long conversations over tea. Extending generosity is a way of life in this region and the hospitality is truly beautiful. It’s amazing to see people treat guests like family by offering delicious food."

Lakeview Farms/Tribe Hummus— Tribe Hummus prides itself on its unwavering commitment to producing great-tasting hummus even as fad diets and flash-in-the-pan trends have since fizzled out. Founded in 1993, Tribe Hummus debuted at a time when most consumers were unaware of this savory spread. For the next two years, company leaders made it their mission to raise awareness and educate US consumers about hummus and how it can elevate snacking. Tribe Hummus uses seemingly simple ingredients to offer a line up of traditional, spicy and sweet flavor profiles.

Company leaders decided to omit artificial preservatives from its hummus recipes and revamped its packaging to reflect the company’s simplistic and uncluttered approach to manufacturing hummus. Today, the lineup of hummus is plant-based, kosher-certified, vegan-friendly, and contains no GMO ingredients, no artificial preservatives, no cholesterol, no hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup.

The company’s contributions and progress within the category caught the attention of Lakeview Farms and in 2018, Lakeview Farms acquired Tribe Mediterranean Foods. The acquisition complemented Lake View Farms portfolio of refrigerated desserts, dips, seafood salads and spreads. Lakeview Farms is positioned at the forefront of the fresh and convenient dips, desserts, and specialty products categories.

The company was founded in 1988 with one customer and a handful of employees who shared the understanding that they would thrive by offering tasty products and staying devoted and loy- al to their customers. Today, Lakeview offers hummus, in addition to salsa, layered dips and dairy, deli and seafood dips. Lakeview is committed to improving continuously and seeking out opportunities to introduce new products to its consumer following, “that will appeal to the foodies in all of us, with ontrend and timely innovation across our portfolio of brands and product lines,” according to the company website. “We are proud of our creative product development, innovative packaging, quality assurance protocols and modern production facilities that enable us to satisfy our customers and consumers as we build on our commitment to creating a world of fresh, delightful foods."

"Lakeview Farms has been able to maintain a high level of order fulfillment in spite of various supply chain challenges," said Lakeview Farms' Greg Klein. "We’re striving to keep our customers in-stock with on-time, in full order delivery."

Steve’s Mediterranean Chef— Steve’s Mediterranean Chef started out in Lebanon centered around the Chammas family who connected each Sunday to spend time together and relish traditional Mediterranean cuisine made from recipes passed down generations in their family.

Propelled by his heritage, Pierre Chammas wanted others to enjoy and savor his family’s recipes. He launched Basha, a well-known hummus brand. Its success demonstrated to grocers there was an opportunity for packaged Mediterranean cuisines in the grocery industry waiting to be tapped.

Chammas would eventually sell the Basha brand. His next venture was Steve’s Mediterranean Chef. Built on the values of family, love and good food, Steve’s Mediterranean Chef brought Chammas’ vision to life which he currently shares with his family who have joined in on the family passion for food and authentic recipes. “At Steve’s, we have a special connection to our food and how it’s made and are committed to delivering real food made by real people,” according to the company. “We put our heart and soul into every product, and you can taste the difference.”