Soom Foods, CEO and Co-Founder Amy Zitelman | Founding Philly Ep. 31

On this episode, I interview Amy Zitelman, CEO and Co-Founder of Soom Foods, a sister-owned company renowned for its tahini and tahini products.

Soom Tahini, known for its silky-smooth texture, is made from sesame seeds and has become a versatile ingredient in both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, enhancing both savory and sweet dishes.

Soom Foods' high-quality tahini has established itself as a staple in professional kitchens and home pantries. 

Their products are available in numerous retail locations, including Whole Foods, Thrive Market, and, as of this year, over 1300 Publix stores.

This summer marks a significant milestone for Amy, her sisters, and the Soom team as they celebrate 10 years of Soom's journey. 

The company found its early success in the food service industry, forming partnerships with restaurants and chefs, and delivering tahini in bulk. 

Amy explains the strategic advantage of this B2B approach, saying, 'The beauty about restaurants or B2B is they buy more of it and they buy it more often. They buy a 40-pound bucket of tahini as opposed to a six or an 11-ounce jar of tahini and they buy that 40-pound bucket every week as opposed to once a year.'

Amy also recounted knocking on doors to persuade chefs to try her tahini, sometimes leading to her being invited into their kitchens—a fun way to grow the business early on. 

Amy's favorite simple pleasure with tahini? She recommends, 'simply drizzling tahini on Greek yogurt with honey and sliced bananas—it's just perfect.'

Listen as Amy shares her journey of co-founding and leading Soom Foods over the past decade, the invaluable lessons learned in developing a leading tahini brand, and her commitment to revolutionizing the culinary world by introducing high-quality, versatile tahini to kitchens everywhere.