The new single-serve squeeze packs, which contain two tablespoons (1.1 oz) of product, are available as sesame tahini and chocolate sweet halva spread (Chocolate Soom). Tahini is a basic paste made from sesame seeds and used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It contains mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids and nutrients including thiamine, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, and calcium.
“The inspiration for the Squeeze Packs was to give more people access to our products,” says Soom Foods Co-Founder and CEO Shelby Zitelman.
“We believe this packaging reduces any barriers that would prevent customers from enjoying the taste, versatility and nutritional benefits of our tahini products. As more consumers are seeking healthy, on-the-go options to meet the demands of their busy lifestyles, Soom Squeeze Packs provide a serving of delicious tahini in an easy, non-committal portion size.”
Origins
Soom was founded in 2013 by Shelby Zitelman and her sisters, Amy and Jackie. The idea started two years earlier when eldest sister Shelby was visiting middle sister Jackie in Israel.
This was followed by 18 months of market research, and then a meeting with chef and restaurateur Michael Solomonov, winner of multiple James Beard awards and co-owner of Zahav, an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia, who told the sisters that there was not a consistently good tahini available. Solomonov would go on to be Soom’s first big customer.
In an interview with FoodNavigator-USA last year, Amy Zitelman said: “We’ve doubled our sales every year, and we’re really proud of that. We’re right on trend with Mediterranean food, it’s healthy and easy and versatile.”
The company uses single-sourced Ethiopian White Humera sesame seeds in its products. The combination of altitude, climate and fertile soil make ideal conditions for sesame seed production, similar to coffee (Ethiopia is the largest African producer of Arabica coffee), according to Amy Zitelman.
On-the-go snacking
The new squeeze packs can be used for topping for fruit, veggies and pretzels, as well as a spread for toast or crackers. Tahini can be also be stirred into oatmeal, dressings, and sauces; blended into ice cream, cakes, and cookies, smoothies; and drizzled over tacos and pizzas, said the company.
The packs are available online (www.soomfoods.com and Amazon) and priced at $21-23 for a 12 pack and $41-46 for a 24 pack.
For more on Soom Foods, please click HERE.
