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All Things Hummus

Moving beyond its humble origins, this $300 million industry is expanding into creatively flavored dips, hummus-based chips and is a key sales driver in the deli.

By Deborah Moss

Hummus, the simple chickpea spread relatively unknown in the U.S. 20 years ago, is having an “it” moment. The garbanzo bean blend is so popular that nearly a  dozen hummus-centric restaurants, known as  hummusiots, have opened in New York City in the past decade. These eateries feature classic creamy creations topped with everything from traditional chickpeas to marinated mushrooms.

The Hummus Place, one such parlor, opened a small store in the East Village in 2004 and now has five outlets in Manhattan. “People didn’t know about hummus. They’d come in with questions,” says Yigal Ashkenazy, general manager. “In the beginning we had more Israeli customers, but now it’s a mix. Now everybody knows about hummus.”

Another hip Manhattan hummus hangout, Nanoosh Mediterranean Hummus Bar, recently opened its fourth location in Murray Hill on Madison Avenue near 34th Street. (It’s original New York shop is blocks from Lincoln Center at Broadway and 69th Street. Other locations include First Avenue and 68th Street and University Place in Greenwich Village.) Nanoosh combines its organic menu—which includes hummus topped with warm chickpeas, sun-dried tomato paste and red and green peppers and hummus wraps with egg and chicken in lavash rather than pita—with a stylish, modern décor such as custom glass light fixtures filled with raw chickpeas.

It’s no surprise that restaurants with hummus-heavy entrée selections would thrive given the rise in its popularity. Today hummus has grown into a $300 million-plus industry and is the growth driver in the deli section, according to Dennis Peters, senior brand manager for Sabra, one of the world’s largest producers of hummus, which has offices in Astoria, N.Y. “We’re growing nearly three times the category average,” Peters points out.

WIDESPREAD APPEAL

Nassem Ziyad, general manager of Ziyad Brothers Importing in Chicago, has seen similar growth. “We started importing hummus in 1968 before anyone knew what it was,” says Ziyad. “Now our Wild Garden Hummus is served on airlines [such as Delta, United and Alaska Airlines] and distributed in schools as a healthy snack.”

Hummus’ growth is often attributed to America’s obsession with healthier eating. Besides being wheat- and dairy-free, hummus offers a low-fat, protein-rich option for vegetarians and health-conscious consumers in convenient packaging. “Twenty years ago, you saw dips containing a lot of cheese,” says Gitti Crowley, vice president of marketing for Tribe Mediterranean Foods, Taunton, Mass. “There’s been a real demand for healthier snacks and dips that taste good.”

Tribe and other hummus makers are answering that demand with innovative new varieties. Tribe makes hummus flavors including Horseradish, Dill, Cracked Chili Peppers and Jalapeño. Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods in Ward Hill, Mass., offers Cilantro or Tomato & Basil Hommus among others. Sabra has more than a dozen varieties including Caramelized Onion, Cranberry & Fig, Chipotle, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Peppadew.

“Awareness of hummus is in the 70 percent range among consumers,” says Peters. “People may be more familiar but they don’t necessarily know exactly what it is so makers can put their own spin on it. It doesn’t have a strictly defined profile for what consumers are expecting.”

Moncef Jaziri, owner of San Diego-based Oasis Naturals, says that the lack of expectations has made the proliferation of hummus varieties possible. “People here are willing to try new products, unlike a place like Lebanon, for example, where people would not be as willing to accept artichoke hummus or chipotle black bean hummus,” says Jaziri, whose company has grown from five to 80 employees in the past decade. “That has helped the growth a lot.”

Category leaders such as Sabra still sell more of its classic hummus than any other type, but Peters says sales for classic hummus decrease every year as new flavors grow in popularity. “Our Spinach Artichoke came out in April [2009] and it’s already our number-five best seller,” he says.

Cedar’s, which has been selling hummus since 1981, has seen similar growth. “The original is still our best seller, but our Artichoke and Spinach hummus that came out about a year ago has started racing up the charts,” says Dominick Frocione, national sales manager.

SURPRISING PRODUCTS

With its popularity showing no signs of slowing, hummus is now being used as a base for many different products. Chuck McGonagle was working as a chef in Rye, N.H., two years ago when he concocted a Peanut Butter hummus for his daughter. Much to his surprise he stumbled onto something delicious that he subsequently named Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus. “We talked about calling it something else but I decided, I’m putting hummus with dessert [in the name],” he says. “It turns heads.”

Now McGonagle spends most of his time making and marketing the six flavors of his sweet take on hummus, which consists of 90 percent chickpeas but with no tahini. McGonagle makes Chocolate Mousse, Caramel Apple, Peanut Butter, Toasted Almond, Maple Walnut and Pumpkin Pie as well as seasonal dessert hummus.

You can also find hummus as a base ingredient for products such as Plocky’s Hummus Chips. With three varieties, these chips are now found in airports and several Whole Foods Market divisions, according to Paul Cipolla, owner of the Chicago-based company. “Our chips are made from real hummus, garbanzo beans, they’re gluten-free (a big selling point) and they’re made with olive oil,” he notes. The chips are also transfat- and GMO-free. “We have consumers who drive miles to get these for their children.”

Another hummus-based product is hummus crackers from Dr. Kracker in Dallas. The company offers Hummus Maximus, a cracker made with a blend of garbanzo beans and spelt flours and flavored with lemon peel, garlic, sesame seeds and coriander. Dr. Kracker recommends serving the crackers with a variety of things including…fresh hummus.

Hummus is now so omnipresent that the term is being used generically to refer to a spread or dip. For instance, at Watershed, an Atlanta restaurant, Chef Scott Peacock serves a butter bean hummus with crudités and homemade pita. Rice restaurants in New York City offer edamame hummus.

But not everyone agrees with the generic use of the word hummus. “I grew up in northern Africa and I speak Arabic,” says Jaziri. “Hummus is Arabic for garbanzo beans. If you’re making a dip that doesn’t contain chickpeas, it should really be called a bean dip, not hummus.”

But don’t expect that trend to stop anytime soon. “People don’t buy chickpeas,” notes Julie K. Jeremy president of Native Kjalii Foods, a San Francisco-based company that makes Vegetable or Artichoke hummus. “But they buy hummus. It’s a buzzword now.” |SFM|

Deborah Moss has written for CNNMoney.com, Shape, Sports Illustrated and Time Out New York.