How Soom Foods Built a Brand Before Anyone Knew What Tahini Was

Building a successful food brand in a niche category like tahini requires prioritizing product quality and consumer education over premature branding investments. Soom Foods CEO Amy Zitelman highlights the effectiveness of a "product-first" strategy, where the company initially validated its tahini through restaurant partnerships and direct-to-consumer channels. This grassroots approach allowed for years of gathering consumer feedback, which eventually informed the brand’s transition into mass retail and the development of new product lines like dressings. By leveraging Amazon as a data-rich discovery tool and focusing on the health benefits and culinary versatility of sesame, the company successfully scaled from a small, family-run operation to a national brand. This journey underscores the necessity of aligning marketing efforts with proven consumer behavior rather than chasing vanity metrics or industry trends without established demand.