A Tahini Entrepreneur Stirs Her Way Through The Pandemic

A Tahini Entrepreneur Stirs Her Way Through The Pandemic

Hummus is the most common use for tahini, but there are many more (Photo by Romy Arroyo ... [+] Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)



NurPhoto via Getty Images

Like many food purveyors, Amy Zitelman experienced a turbulent 2020. Her company, Soom Foods, a maker of premium tahini, relied on restaurants for about two-thirds its business.

And with pandemic shutdown orders creating havoc for chefs, she expected Soom might suffer, too. “COVID devastated the restaurant industry,” Zitelman says.

Instead, Soom, which was co-founded by Zitelman in 2013, saw its revenues grow 30 percent last year compared with 2019 (she does not disclose dollar figures).

While restaurant orders were unpredictable, online orders made up the shortfall. Consumers can order directly from the company and its products are found on Amazon



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and other retailers' sites.

Zitelman, who was among FORBES 30 Under 30 in food and beverage in 2018, spotted the interest in tahini developing last spring.



As consumers began cooking and baking more at home, they began searching for instructions on how to use it, and sources where to find it.

In 2019, Zitelman tracked about 6,000