Foodfest takes Sabra Hummus from Coast to Coast
December 3, 2009
View Article by Dan Verbin
In over 30 years in the food distribution business, Henry Ender has never seen a product takeoff as fast as Sabra hummus.
Ender, the CEO of Foodfest International, the Canadian importer and distributor of Sabra Dipping Company foods, calls Sabra’s line of hummus dips an “overnight sensation all because of the quality.”
He credited Sabra’s commitment to going above and beyond the competition – sales have increased from $20 million to $140 million and are projected to hit $300 million – as the main factor in the meteoric rise of their hummus and Mediterranean spreads.
“You get the real deal when you eat Sabra hummus,” he said. “It’s just stand alone quality. There is just nothing like it. The minute you put it in your mouth, you’ll know the difference.”
Sabra is fast taking over the North American market in the dipping category. With a certified kosher, award-winning line of products, including multiple flavours of hummus, babaganoush, salsas, sautéed vegetables, Turkish salad and Moroccan matbucha, there is no turning back.
As of this year, Sabra is now the bestselling hummus dip in the United States and is set to take over the number one spot in Canada within one year.
The company purchased the finest technology from Israel in order to create a hummus that is heads above the competition, Ender explained. Moreover, Sabra, which is based in New York, uses only authentic, specially sourced ingredients.
“They use amazing ingredients. They don’t skimp on anything. They give you the top of the line Mercedes of ingredients,” said Ender, whose company, Foodfest, is the biggest privately held kosher food distributor in Canada.
The veteran of the food industry further credited Sabra with a top notch marketing campaign. The company has invested a substantial sum, working alongside Foodfest to create promotions that are helping to bring Sabra’s hummus to the Canadian masses.
For instance, Sabra is using half price sales to corner the hummus market. However, sales are not the deciding factor, according to Ender. Taste is the real selling point.
“Once a person tastes our hummus, it’s game over for the competition because nothing comes close. There’s a lot of imitators that call themselves hummus makers. But there’s nothing like Sabra,” said Ender.
Besides the one-of-a-kind taste, the best thing about Sabra from a food distribution perspective is that the product sells itself. From his experience in the food business, Ender expected the usual difficult sell when introducing Sabra dips to grocery stores.
He related a story about a Loblaws tasting session where he was prepared for a tough sales pitch.
Instead, to his amazement, he experienced the exact opposite. “The minute they tasted it, it was easy. It was game over. They said, ‘Ok, guys, you’re going to get all of Canada’ as a result of that one taste session.”
While Ender has sold many different product lines over the year, he is especially proud of his work with Sabra. As a company leader, all he has to do is set up a tasting appointment and watch people’s faces, he said.
“For me, it’s so easy to sell Sabra hummus because it sells itself really. All I have to do is let somebody taste it and watch their face. And you’ll see a smile,” he said.
Ender said that the “best is yet to come” for Sabra, with sales in the past year doubling and tripling at major Canadian retailers, including Sobeys, Loblaws, Metro and Pusateri’s, which Ender explained is the store that the industry looks to for the latest ideas in quality foods.
“When we presented (Sabra) to Pusateri’s, they gave us the largest space in history of anybody that they deal with to put Sabra in a showcase,” said Ender.
Foodfest, which is in its fourth year of distributing Sabra, has made connections across the country, placing Sabra in about 3000 stores between Vancouver and Halifax in the last eight months. Ender predicted that the number will increase to 4500 by next June because he is currently setting up distribution for Western Canada.
“It’s no longer a Jewish thing now. It’s now everyone’s choice,” he said, noting the health aspects of eating hummus. “My job is to take it out of Bathurst Street and have everybody eating it.”
Ender said that people from all different ethnicities and backgrounds are discovering a love for hummus at local tasting sessions that Foodfest is setting up.
“We now have every ethnic group eating hummus. When we go to major supermarkets, everybody comes to the table,” he said.
His company has invested a considerable amount of resources into marketing, including a team of 10 to 12 employees who take Sabra samples directly to the public.
“They buy it on the spot and become a loyal customer,” he said.
Ender, who also owns Strub Pickles and Zoglo’s, the Israeli manufacturer of “Meatless cuisine for the future”, explained that ultimately he must be a big fan of the products he distributes, saying he only sells products that he personally would eat.
Therefore, after so many years in the food business, to hear such palpable excitement in his voice over a product means that it is the real deal.
“We’re going population wide. We’re trying to let everybody taste hummus. It’s the fastest growth category in the supermarkets right now,” he said.
opposite. “The minute they tasted it, it was easy. It was game over. They said, ‘Ok, guys, you’re going to get all of Canada’ as a result of that one taste session.”
While Ender has sold many different product lines over the year, he is especially proud of his work with Sabra. As a company leader, all he has to do is set up a tasting appointment and watch people’s faces, he said.
“For me, it’s so easy to sell Sabra hummus because it sells itself really. All I have to do is let somebody taste it and watch their face. And you’ll see a smile,” he said.
Ender said that the “best is yet to come” for Sabra, with sales in the past year doubling and tripling at major Canadian retailers, including Sobeys, Loblaws, Metro and Pusateri’s, which Ender explained is the store that the industry looks to for the latest ideas in quality foods.
“When we presented (Sabra) to Pusateri’s, they gave us the largest space in history of anybody that they deal with to put Sabra in a showcase,” said Ender.
Foodfest, which is in its fourth year of distributing Sabra, has made connections across the country, placing Sabra in about 3000 stores between Vancouver and Halifax in the last eight months. Ender predicted that the number will increase to 4500 by next June because he is currently setting up distribution for Western Canada.
“It’s no longer a Jewish thing now. It’s now everyone’s choice,” he said, noting the health aspects of eating hummus. “My job is to take it out of Bathurst Street and have everybody eating it.”
Ender said that people from all different ethnicities and backgrounds are discovering a love for hummus at local tasting sessions that Foodfest is setting up.
“We now have every ethnic group eating hummus. When we go to major supermarkets, everybody comes to the table,” he said.
His company has invested a considerable amount of resources into marketing, including a team of 10 to 12 employees who take Sabra samples directly to the public.
“They buy it on the spot and become a loyal customer,” he said.
Ender, who also owns Strub Pickles and Zoglo’s, the Israeli manufacturer of “Meatless cuisine for the future”, explained that ultimately he must be a big fan of the products he distributes, saying he only sells products that he personally would eat.
Therefore, after so many years in the food business, to hear such palpable excitement in his voice over a product means that it is the real deal.
“We’re going population wide. We’re trying to let everybody taste hummus. It’s the fastest growth category in the supermarkets right now,” he said.
