Founder Stories: Garlic Goodness

by Foodbevy
June 6, 2021

Let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there. How did your company get started and why?

Taken from a blurb on my website – “I grew up in South San Jose, just under a 30-minute drive to the most well-known USA grown California Garlic farm, The Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, CA. Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I would wake up to the smell of garlic in the air every single morning due to the wind coming from the direction of the farmland. For me, garlic is a nostalgic ingredient. The aroma, taste, and scent of garlic trigger my amygdala and all I can envision are these little memories of moments with my family picking garlic from our garden, pealing them, and smashing the naked bulbs with olive wood mortar and pestle. I can hear my father’s voice as I kneel down with my hand in the rich soil teaching me how to be gentle with the crop. I can envision the smiles on my sibling’s faces as we worked together to peel the layers. I can feel my mom’s warmth as she appreciates the joy that fills the air during these small moments of togetherness and peace. Garlic, to me, represents the goodness in my life and the goodness I want to share with others. It symbolizes survival, healing, and faith in the herbal remedies that Earth provides us. In 2008, my family took a leap of faith and opened a Mediterranean restaurant in the Silicon Valley. One reason our restaurant thrived in the midst of a recession is that the food we served did not shy away from the powerful and impactful flavor of garlic. Our garlic dip, also known as “Toum”, made the restaurant so popular within the Silicon Valley community. Soon enough our garlic dip was being requested in large 24” trays! Our first ever Garlic Goodness patrons were employees of Google, Apple, Intel, Boeing, Netflix, and countless others. In 2018, I launched my line of garlic dips and slowly began selling to local grocery stores throughout California. Now, in 2020, we are available at 50 storefronts and are expecting to continue that growth moving forward. “

 

What is your product and how would you describe it?

Garlic Goodness is a Lebanese garlic dip commonly known as “Toom”. It’s a versatile dip infusing the rich flavours of raw garlic, lemon juice, natural oils, and zesty spices.

 

How have you pivoted your business this year?

The theme of 2020 for Garlic Goodness was persistence. We really focused on our current customer clientele and making sure they had everything they would possibly need. But, we didn’t let the pandemic stop us from continuing on with our original plan of expansion and brand development. We worked hard to continue to build new relationships and gain new accounts. Through it all, we were able to add 40 new accounts in preparation for January 2021, secure distribution in Northern and Southern California, as well as begin and finalise a brand-reboot for both our label and website. It was a year full of ups and downs, but a lot of really positive improvements, too!

What is your next challenge to overcome?

Expansion -> Our biggest goal is to gain an account with 10+ storefronts. Gaining a large account such as this will help us with our next goal, which is… Brand Recognition ->Our brand reboot was the first step that we conquered in 2020. Next is helping to build Garlic Goodness in a way that supports our effort of it becoming a recognisable and memorable item on the shelf by consumers. We hope to do this by gaining press coverage, landing a large account, and focusing on marketing efforts. Help –> In 2021, we hope to build investor relationships throughout the year in so that leading into 2022, we can begin to have those discussions around investment and long-term goals for the company. In addition, we really hope to gain support in building our consumer base through building a strong social following.

What do you predict for the food industry over the rest of the year?

I think in 2021 the CPG food industry will continue to grow. I think prebiotic and immune-boosting items known to be natural preventative medicine ( such as kombucha, garlic, and ginger food products ) will continue to go on being strong items that consumers will purchase throughout the year and years to come (it helps that they also taste great!).

Learn more at: Garlic Goodness (mariamsmediterranean.com)

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