THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A NON-KOSHER PRODUCT. BE ADVISED- THIS IS NOT A KOSHER PRODUCT! SEE OUR COMMENTS AT THE END.

Spicing up a Middle East import
Americans’ growing love affair with hummus prompts Baba Foods to get creative with flavors

By KATIE STEINER Contributing writer

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 9:48 p.m.

In Anis Ben’s native country of Tunisia, hummus is a traditional recipe that is considered a staple at any meal.

“In the Middle East, they would laugh at putting pumpkin in hummus,” Ben said.

Fortunately for Ben, owner of Baba Foods, Americans love flavored hummus, including his company’s pumpkin flavor.

Back when Baba Foods began business in 1998, hummus was considered a novelty item found in health food stores or stocked with other “ethnic” foods in grocery stores.

But in recent years, hummus has become a popular item for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. According to The Associated Press, hummus now annually brings in $325 million in sales.

That’s because hummus is a snack that provides some healthy benefits; it’s an excellent source of fiber and protein. And the olive oil that is added for flavor is heart-healthy.

Traditional hummus is a combination of chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Baba Foods takes that traditional recipe and adds some spice to it — or avocado, or artichoke, or olives.

“In the Middle East, they don’t want to try something new,” Ben said. “Here, you can be more creative.”

Ben came to the United States for college and, after graduating, worked for a Lebanese company that made hummus. When the company was struggling, Ben decided to open his own company, and Baba Foods was born.

Ben and his partner, John Brothers, started off with four or five flavors of hummus. Now they have more than 20.

The two most popular flavors, “Avocado and Cilantro” and “Fresh Cilantro and Jalapeño,” were the first ones Baba Foods introduced, along with “Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil.”

The fall season brings two specialty flavors into the rotation: Pumpkin, of course, and peanut butter.

Baba Foods reaps a lot of its income from farmers markets around San Diego and other parts of Southern California . The company also sells its products at Costco stores in Southern California and Arizona.

Because Baba Foods has many regular customers at farmers markets, Brothers said it’s important to keep coming up with new products.

“I see the same faces week in, week out,” he said. “So we have to be creative, we have to stay on top of the hummus. We don’t want to get stagnant.”

So what’s in the works at Baba Foods? For starters, a zesty lemon-flavored hummus.

With Ben’s creativity and Brothers’ background as a chef, the two are constantly experimenting on new flavors. They are also looking into a shipping option for Baba Foods customers, so the delicious hummus Californians have come to love can reach across the country.

“We want to keep it simple,” Ben said of his hummus. “But we also want to always try to be creative.”
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Keep in mind, California is home to the pineapple-lox pizza, too! Pumpkin hummus? Peanut butter hummus? BLASPHEMY!!
This is one product line that frankly we don’t care if they ever go kosher or not. Puhleeze!