I was born into a family of skilled hummus craftsmen. My bloodline extends all the way to Alexander, when he invaded Persia and introduced the chickpea to Esfahan.Just kidding…
In late 2017, I was a 26-year-old finance geek in downtown San Francisco. Fed up with corporate life, I wanted, for the first time in my life, to create something instead of mindlessly consuming. So I Googled “How to start a food business in SF.”
Armed with a few of my own hummus recipes, a desire to spread joy through food, and the belief that taste and quality of ingredients always come first, I quit my job, found a shared commercial kitchen and got to work.
Today, Obour is the Bay Area's go-to for hummus, tahini, toum and pita chips. You'll find us at 25 weekly farmers markets across the Bay Area and Los Angeles, on grocery shelves, in our fridges at breweries and taprooms, and at our flagship shop in the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Our 53-person team makes everything fresh each week, in small batches, in our own kitchen in the sunny Bayview District of San Francisco. Never outsourced. And we're obsessed with quality.
(Like, truly obsessed.)
Here’s what that looks like in every jar:
- Organic chickpeas, never canned, soaked overnight
- Organic lemon juice, fresh-squeezed, never bottled
- Organic extra-virgin olive oil, cold-pressed
- Tahini ground fresh in-house every week
- No preservatives. Ever.
We use reusable glass jars, and our jar return program cuts our packaging footprint by nearly half.
All of this adds up to what many people tell us is the best hummus they've ever had. We're inclined to agree. I hope you do, too.
Obour starts in a shared San Francisco kitchen. Hot Curry, with 14 spices, is the very first flavor.
Our first farmers market stand.
Our first shop opens inside the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Hummus Fridges now stock fresh dips and chips in breweries and bars from Santa Cruz to Reno.
Our own kitchen in the Bayview, 25 weekly markets and over 90 wholesale accounts.
Follow along on Instagram @obourfoods
The Lion & the Sun
Our logo comes from the Shir-o-Khorshid, the Lion and the Sun, one of the oldest emblems of Iran. It has been woven into Persian art and heraldry since the 12th century, and it flew on the Iranian flag until 1979. People have read many meanings into it over the centuries. Right now, we'd like you to associate it with some really good hummus.
And the name? Obour is Persian for “a crossing.” Say it “oh-BOOR,” rhyming with tour. For you, it’s the crossing over to much better hummus. For me, Elliot, starting Obour was a crossing of my own, both personal and spiritual.
Obour (Persian: عبور) noun a crossing
Every flavor gets its own sun. Find yours: