Three Sisters Took Tahini from 350 to 4,500 Stores in Two Years
The Family Recipe That Became a Business
Amy, Shelby, and Jackie Zitelman grew up eating premium, smooth, rich tahini their family brought back from trips to the Middle East.
"We'd scrape the bottom of the jar because it tasted so good," Amy recalls. "But when we tried to buy it in the US, everything tasted terrible."
Most Americans only knew tahini as "that ingredient in hummus." The sisters saw an opportunity: introduce Americans to real, high-quality tahini for everything from smoothies to salad dressings to desserts.
In 2013, they launched Soom Foods to make America fall in love with tahini.
Starting Small: Side Hustle to Full-Time
The sisters didn't quit their day jobs right away. Soom started as a side hustle:
- Selling at Philadelphia farmers markets on weekends
- Hand-delivering jars to local specialty stores
- Bootstrapping every dollar back into inventory
Early challenges:
- Most Americans didn't know what tahini was beyond hummus
- Convincing retailers to give shelf space to an unknown brand
- Educating consumers on how to use tahini in everyday cooking
But slowly, customers who tried Soom became loyal fans.
By 2016, Soom had grown enough that Amy quit her corporate job to run it full-time. Shelby and Jackie followed soon after.
What gave them confidence:
- Consistent repeat customers
- Growing interest in Middle Eastern cuisine
- Increasing awareness of tahini's health benefits (protein, calcium, healthy fats)
- Positive feedback from chefs and food bloggers
Growing Through Specialty Retail & E-Commerce
Between 2016-2022, Soom focused on two channels:
1. Natural & Specialty Retailers
Soom partnered with independent health food stores, regional chains like Fresh Market, and eventually Whole Foods (limited markets).
These retailers understood premium food products and had customers willing to pay $10+ for a jar of tahini.
By 2022, Soom was in 350 stores - respectable, but not yet mainstream.
2. Direct-to-Consumer
Soom built a strong online presence through their website, Amazon, and recipe content marketing.
Key strategy: They didn't just sell tahini - they taught people how to use it with recipes for tahini chocolate chip cookies, salad dressings, smoothies, and energy balls.
The 2023 Whole Foods Expansion
In 2023, Soom secured a national Whole Foods rollout.
Why this mattered:
- Access to hundreds of stores nationwide
- Perfect customer alignment with premium positioning
- Validation they could compete nationally
Sales increased significantly, and Soom proved it could handle increased production and distribution. But Amy knew they needed mainstream retail to become a household name.
The Walmart Opportunity
In 2024, Soom got the call: "Walmart wants to talk."
For most specialty food brands, Walmart feels out of reach. The perception is customers won't pay premium prices and margins are too thin.
Amy saw it differently:
"Walmart shoppers are just regular people buying groceries. If they're buying ingredients for a recipe and see our tahini next to the peanut butter, they might grab it."
Walmart's pitch:
- Launch in 989 stores nationally
- Place in the nut butter aisle (high-traffic location)
- Support with merchandising and promotions
Soom said yes.
October 2024: The Walmart Launch
In October 2024, Soom officially launched in 989 Walmart stores nationwide.
This was a massive operational challenge:
Scaling Production
- Increasing manufacturing capacity
- Securing more premium Ethiopian sesame seeds
- Ensuring quality control at scale
- Managing cash flow for large inventory orders
Marketing & Education
Unlike Whole Foods shoppers, many Walmart customers had never bought tahini.
Soom's strategy:
- In-store demos (sampling is critical)
- Recipe cards at point-of-sale
- Social media campaigns targeting Walmart shoppers
- Partnerships with food bloggers
From 350 to 4,500 Stores
The Walmart launch was a success. By the end of 2024, Soom expanded to 4,500 total stores - a 13x increase in just two years.
The timeline:
- 2022: 350 stores
- 2023: ~1,500 stores (Whole Foods expansion)
- October 2024: +989 Walmart stores
- End of 2024: 4,500+ total stores
What drove the growth:
- Strong sell-through at Walmart
- Positive customer reviews and repeat purchases
- Expanded to other major retailers (Target, Kroger, Publix)
- Increased brand awareness from Walmart's scale
Amy credits Walmart with opening doors: "Once we proved we could succeed at Walmart, other retailers took us seriously."
What Makes Soom Different
1. Product Quality Is Non-Negotiable
Soom uses premium Ethiopian sesame seeds and a unique milling process that produces incredibly smooth, creamy tahini that doesn't separate.
Result: High repeat purchase rates. Once customers try it, they don't go back.
2. Versatility Messaging
Soom positioned tahini as more than "just for hummus" - showing it could replace peanut butter, be drizzled on oatmeal, blended into smoothies, and baked into desserts.
This expanded the market. Tahini became a pantry staple.
3. Family-Owned Authenticity
In an era of private equity-backed brands, Soom's story as a women-owned, sister-run family business resonates. Customers feel good supporting a real family.
4. Premium Positioning Without Pretension
Soom is premium ($10-12/jar vs. $5-6 for generic), but the branding isn't snooty. The messaging is friendly: "Everything tastes better with tahini!"
5. Strategic Retail Partnerships
Soom didn't just ship product hoping it would sell. They:
- Worked with retailers on placement (next to peanut butter, not hidden in international aisle)
- Provided recipe cards and marketing materials
- Trained store staff
- Collaborated on promotions
Challenges of Scaling
Amy is transparent about the difficulties:
Cash Flow Management: Retail requires huge upfront inventory investments. You manufacture and ship months before getting paid.
Maintaining Quality at Scale: As production increased, Soom ensured quality didn't slip by refusing to compromise on Ethiopian sesame seeds.
Competition: Once Soom proved the premium tahini market existed, bigger brands noticed and tried to enter.
Balancing Family & Business: Running a company with siblings has unique challenges. "We've had to learn how to separate business decisions from family dynamics."
The Walmart Effect
Landing Walmart didn't just add stores - it transformed Soom's trajectory:
1. Access to Capital: Proving traction at Walmart made it easier to secure loans and investment 2. Operational Maturity: Forced Soom to professionalize operations 3. Brand Credibility: "If you're in Walmart, you're a real brand" 4. Customer Diversity: Reached customers who'd never shop at Whole Foods 5. Bargaining Power: Better terms with co-packers, suppliers, and retailers
Key Lessons
1. You Don't Need to Be a "Retail Expert"
The sisters came from corporate, marketing, and education - not food manufacturing. They learned as they went. Passion + willingness to learn beats industry experience.
2. Educate, Don't Just Sell
Most Americans didn't know how to use tahini. Soom invested in education through recipes and demos, which drove adoption.
3. Premium Products Can Succeed at Walmart
Walmart customers will pay premium prices if the value is clear.
4. Family Businesses Can Scale
Running a company with siblings has unique advantages: shared values, deep trust, and long-term thinking.
5. Slow and Steady Wins
Soom spent 11 years building before the Walmart breakthrough. Sustainable growth beats hockey-stick hype.
The Bottom Line
Amy, Shelby, and Jackie proved that:
- Family businesses can compete with corporate giants
- Women-owned brands can scale to thousands of stores
- Premium products have a place at Walmart
- Education drives adoption for unfamiliar products
- Slow, sustainable growth beats venture-backed hype
Soom went from 350 to 4,500 stores in two years - but it took 11 years of foundation-building to get there.
You need:
- A product people genuinely love
- Patience to build slowly
- Willingness to educate your market
- Smart retail partnerships
- Grit to keep going when it's hard
The Soom sisters proved that three siblings with a love for tahini could build a brand in Walmart, Target, and Costco. If they can do it, so can you.
Soom Foods is available in 4,500+ stores including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, and independent retailers. The company remains family-owned and is led by sisters Amy (CEO), Shelby, and Jackie Zitelman.