Meet Hannah Awada of Hummus Goodness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Awada. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The dream of Hummus Goodness did not start in Birmingham, MI. It did not even start in the USA. The roots of Hummus Goodness began in August of 2017 in Shanghai, China. While living there as an expat with my husband and 3 children, I started a company called Hummus House. I crafted fresh hummus every week for the other expats in the city. My automotive executive husband asked me what was my goal. 50 containers a week which I immediately passed that number by selling 65 containers in the first week. Nine months after starting Hummus House- I was selling over 400 containers per week with 0 advertising or marketing. Business grew by word of mouth, great customer service, and unique flavors. And then my husband’s job relocated us to Michigan. 

In June 2018 Birmingham became our new home. So, was continuing the hummus legacy an obvious path? Not at all. Concerned with the abundance of store-bought hummus I believed there would be too much competition and difficulty penetrating the market. It took the urging of friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers who tried my hummus to get me to finally say Let’s do it again! 

Hummus Goodness started in the kitchen of St. James Church in April of 2019. At first, hummus was delivered directly to customers’ home’s but as demand increased, I approached Holiday Market Select in Birmingham to be the first carrier of my hummus. From there business soared! Within 18 months, Hummus Goodness moved to our own facility in Southfield and can be found in over 50 Michigan and Ohio stores. 

So, let’s talk hummus! Hummus… I know, another hummus company! But Hummus Goodness is different! Hummus Goodness is better! We are here to show you that you CAN buy clean AND delicious store-bought hummus. That’s right! We are CLEAN AND DELICIOUS! That’s because hummus should be enjoyed fresh. 

To us, fresh means not extending shelf life to 90+ days using methods that takes away flavor and freshness from hummus. 

Fresh does not include ingredients like potassium sorbate. 

Fresh does not mean using artificial ingredients and citric acid to develop some sort of semblance of hummus. 

To us, fresh means real ingredients. Ingredients like responsibly sourced NON-GMO beans (yep, we can tell you exactly where our beans are grown!), Michigan-grown beets, fresh lemon, and lime juice, and real garlic cloves (can you believe some hummus companies use dehydrated garlic or garlic powder! Yuck!!) 

And of course, ALL of our hummus is made with ONLY Olive Oil instead of a mix of olive oil and hydrogenated oils. 

At Hummus Goodness, fresh means hummus that is bursting with amazing flavors like Classic Hummus, Beet Hummus, Taco Hummus, Spicy Hummus. But our signature flavor? The one that started it all in China and made us so popular? Balsamic Hummus- made with FRESH roasted garlic and balsamic glazed red onions, it’s the perfect savory dip with just a touch of sweetness! So. Darn. Addictive. 

Hummus Goodness prides ourselves on crafting the freshest, cleanest hummus at over 70 grocery stores in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio areas. Today we have a team of 3 dedicated workers and our own facility in Southfield, Michigan. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth road? Oh gosh, no food business is lucky enough to have a “smooth road.” We’ve had struggles along the way of course. Hummus Goodness started in April of 2019 and we got into our first store in September. Everything was going as smooth as can be until March 2020 when COVID struck. Fortunately, we were able to continue making hummus every week and even saw an increase in sales. We also donated hundreds of snack packs to the local hospitals to support our frontline workers. We made it through what we thought was going to be a rough road. The state began to reopen, we could demo without masks, visit new stores. Things were good until the road got rough in early September. We have seen a steady pricing increase across the board from containers, to fresh garlic cloves to shipping costs. It’s been stressful to deal with these price increases but we are committed to keeping our hummus fresh and clean without increasing the price. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Hummus Goodness makes fresh clean hummus every week. They come in 5 flavors and we are hoping to introduce a new flavor in 2022. Currently, our flavors are:

Classic: Super clean light flavored hummus that doesn’t leave any weird after tastes. It has fresh cloves of garlic, real lemon juice and  non-GMO chickpeas  then topped with a  sprinkle of paprika

Spicy: This one is for our heat lovers. It has a great slow heat that really hits you at the end. Made with a non-GMO sriracha it is really delicious with celery and Doritos.

Balsamic: our signature flavor. We make our own roasted garlic and balsamic glazed caramelized red onions to this one. Try it with bell peppers!

Taco: The flavor that even people who hate hummus LOVE! It tastes literally like a taco with fresh lime juice. Enjoy with tortilla chips or in place of refried beans in your favorite taco.

Beet: Freshly roasted Michigan beets give our beet hummus that incredible purple color and gorgeous flavor.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Take your time and take small steps. You are not going to be the next Garden Fresh overnight. It’s going to take time. I wish I knew that… maybe I did? For every hour I put in the kitchen I spend 3 more making flyers, working the social media world, and selling our product to new customers. Surround yourself with people who have walked the road ahead of you. As smart as you think you are, there are people out there with a wealth of information that can help you take your business to the next level. I am forever indebted to my Michigan State University Product Center Mentor, Becky DeYoung, and SCORE Mentor, David Broner for their wealth of advice, kindness, and keeping my head forward when things seemed so hard. 

Pricing:

• $5.99

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.hummusgoodness.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hummusgoodness
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hummusgoodness
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/hummusgoodness