Hummus Sapiens: How Hummus’ Takeover Can Help Humanity
As someone who’s jokingly referred to myself as a Hummus sapiens due to my daily hummus habit, it was a lot of fun to talk with the Hummus King himself, the CEO of the biggest hummus company on the planet.
While hummus certainly makes my life better, I’ve long been convinced that it can actually make the world a better place too, which is why I wanted to talk with Sabra CEO Joey Bergstein on the Business for Good Podcast.
For example, did you know about the correlation between declining smoking rates and increasing hummus consumption? It’s true — a decade ago, as American smoking rates were falling, hummus consumption began ascending, leading numerous tobacco growers to convert their fields to chickpea production instead. Of course, it wasn’t a causal correlation, but it’s still true that at least for a time, tobacco growers were seeking to switch to chickpeas, something surely preferable for society.
Hummus is also a favorite of those seeking to eat plant-based while still getting a satiating snack or meal. In fact, in the Middle East, the birthplace of hummus, it’s not eaten as a dip like it is here in America, but rather hummus itself is the bulk of the meal, enjoyed literally by the bowlful as I’ve personally witnessed — and enjoyed — while in Israel.
Some people even think that hummus may be among the key ways to unite the Middle East, where various cultures have been enjoying hummus for thousands of years.
But one place where hummus hasn’t been enjoyed for millenia: America. But one company set out to change that, Sabra, which has caused an explosion of interest in hummus since it entered the market, especially since the company sold half of its shares to Pepsi. Since then, Sabra has rapidly accelerated hummus’ popularity here in America.
Today, Sabra sells hundreds of millions of dollars of tubs of hummus and is by far the largest player in the sector. In this interview, I chat with Sabra CEO Joey Bergstein about all things hummus, including why he thinks hummus is such a force for good in the world — including why chickpeas are the OG of regenerative crops — and how Sabra can do even better.
I had a great time during this conversation and I think you’ll like it too. Enjoy!
