Habiza
Reinventing the hummus aisle with Gen Z appeal using a Lebanese family recipe.
Cover Block
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Habiza |
| Tagline | Reinventing the hummus aisle with Gen Z appeal using a Lebanese family recipe |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | Direct-to-Consumer with retail distribution |
| Industry | Food and Beverage (refrigerated dips) |
| Technology Type | No technology component |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture scale (declared) |
| Founding Team | Solo founder |
| Funding Label | Seed |
| Total Disclosed | ~$2.5M [Forbes, May 2025] |
Links
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/habizahummus/
- Target product page: https://www.target.com/b/habiza-hummus/-/N-q643le82loe
- Erewhon product page: https://erewhon.com/product/7794791000/hummus-authentic-original
- LinkedIn (team profile, Patrick Garot): https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickgarot/
Summary and Signal
Habiza is a Los Angeles-based premium hummus brand that has moved from a high-school driveway operation to national retail shelves in roughly four years. Founder Jonathan Srour reportedly began producing hummus in his parents' garage during high school, sold it lemonade-stand style on Sundays, and formalized the company in 2021 after dropping out of college [Forbes, May 2025] [PitchBook, 2026] [Snackfax]. The product positioning, marketed under the claim of "the world's creamiest hummus," targets Gen Z buyers through cultural authenticity and design-forward packaging [Forbes, May 2025]. Distribution is the most concrete proof point to date: Habiza is on shelves at Target, Erewhon, and Ralphs [Forbes, May 2025] [Foodbeast] [Startup to Storefront]. The company recently closed approximately $2.5 million in seed capital, with Foodbeast Ventures named as a participating backer [Nosh.com, 2025] [Forbes, May 2025]. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the relevant signals to watch are velocity at Target, SKU expansion beyond the original recipe, and whether the brand can defend premium price points against private-label and incumbent challengers [Nosh, 2026].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed across Forbes, Nosh, PitchBook, and direct retailer listings.
Taxonomy Snapshot
| Axis | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | DTC plus premium grocery retail |
| Industry / Vertical | Refrigerated dips, CPG food |
| Geography | North America (US) |
| Growth Profile | Venture scale |
| Founding Team | Solo founder (Jonathan Srour) |
| Funding | ~$2.5M seed [Forbes, May 2025] |
Company Overview
Habiza began as a teenager's side project and was incorporated as a venture-backed business once the founder committed full-time. According to Forbes, the brand started under the name Habibi Hummus during the final months of Jonathan Srour's senior year of high school [Forbes, May 2025]. PitchBook records the formal founding year as 2021 [PitchBook, 2026] [Snackfax]. The legal entity is registered in California as Habiza Hummus Inc. [bizprofile.net].
The most consequential commercial milestone is the placement at Target, which Forbes reported in May 2025 and which marks the transition from regional specialty grocer (Erewhon, Ralphs) to mass national retail [Forbes, May 2025] [Foodbeast] [Startup to Storefront]. Roughly contemporaneous with that distribution win, Habiza closed approximately $2.5 million in seed funding [Nosh.com, 2025] [Forbes, May 2025]. Subsequent reporting in Nosh referenced an emerging US tahini line [Nosh, 2026].
Headquarters remain in Los Angeles, consistent with a brand whose stated wedge is Gen Z cultural appeal [Forbes, May 2025] [Erewhon].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Forbes, PitchBook, Nosh, and California state filing records.
The Product and the Stack
Habiza is a refrigerated hummus brand built around a single recipe lineage with multiple flavor extensions. Press coverage describes the base product as a premium hummus produced from "a nearly century-old Lebanese family recipe," with the founder positioning texture as the primary point of sensory differentiation [Snackfax]. Tasting Table's editorial ranking covered five distinct Habiza hummus flavors [Tasting Table]. Trade reporting in Nosh referenced an upcoming or recently launched US-produced tahini [Nosh, 2026].
There is no technology component to the business. Differentiation rests on three non-technical levers: recipe and texture, packaging and brand identity, and the founder-led origin story [Forbes, May 2025] [Foodbeast].
Distribution is the closest thing the company has to a defensible asset today. Confirmed retail placements include Target nationally [Forbes, May 2025], Erewhon in the Los Angeles premium-grocery channel [Erewhon], and Ralphs in Southern California [Startup to Storefront].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Forbes, Tasting Table, Erewhon and Target product pages.
Market Research and Opportunity
The refrigerated dip aisle has been one of the more durable growth pockets in US grocery over the past decade. The demand backdrop has three reinforcing tailwinds: premiumization within refrigerated dips [Forbes, May 2025] [Erewhon], generational shift [Forbes, May 2025], and category mainstreaming of Mediterranean and Levantine foods [Nosh, 2026].
Key adjacent and substitute markets bound the realistic ceiling. The most direct substitute is incumbent hummus, dominated by Sabra and Cedar's, with private-label hummus functioning as the price-anchor floor. Adjacent dips compete for the same chilled-dip facings. The tahini line moves Habiza into a pantry-shelf category where Soom and Seed and Mill are notable Western challengers.
Regulatory and macro forces are relatively benign. Refrigerated dips face standard FDA labeling and food-safety oversight. Input-cost exposure is concentrated in chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Disclosed Habiza seed funding | $2.5M [Forbes, May 2025] |
| Confirmed national retail accounts | 3 (Target, Erewhon, Ralphs) |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Distribution and funding confirmed by multiple sources; market sizing relies on category context rather than cited Habiza-specific TAM.
The Competitive Field
Habiza is positioned as a premium, founder-led, culturally specific challenger in a hummus category long dominated by two incumbents and an expanding wall of private label. The volume incumbents are Sabra and Cedar's. The challenger tier is fragmented and includes regional and natural-channel brands like Hope Foods, Ithaca Hummus, and Little Sesame. The substitute tier is private label, which sets the price floor at roughly half the premium tier.
The defensible edges visible today are two. First, the founder-narrative and Gen Z-oriented brand identity have generated outsized earned media [Forbes, May 2025] [Foodbeast]. Second, the Erewhon placement functions as cultural validation [Erewhon].
The most exposed flank is gross margin and shelf retention versus Sabra. A second exposure is the tahini line: in tahini, Soom has spent nearly a decade building chef and retail relationships [Nosh, 2026].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Forbes, Foodbeast, and Nosh.
Opportunity
If Habiza executes, the size of the prize is meaningful: the US refrigerated hummus category is large enough that even single-digit share at premium price points would translate into a meaningful exit for a seed-stage company.
The headline opportunity. The most plausible large outcome for Habiza is becoming the default premium hummus brand for Gen Z and younger millennial shoppers in the natural and mass-natural channel. The hardest part of the playbook (winning Target shelf and Erewhon validation in parallel) is already done [Forbes, May 2025] [Erewhon].
Growth scenarios.
| Scenario | What happens | Catalyst | Why it's plausible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category challenger | Habiza becomes the #3 US hummus brand by dollar share within 36 months | Target velocity justifies national facings expansion plus Whole Foods entry | Already on Target shelves nationally [Forbes, May 2025]; Erewhon halo signals natural-channel readiness [Erewhon] |
| Mediterranean platform | Habiza extends from hummus to tahini, labneh, and dips | Tahini line gains traction and pulls additional SKUs onto shelf [Nosh, 2026] | Reported US tahini launch confirms this is already in motion |
| Strategic acquisition | Habiza is acquired by a strategic at a premium to revenue | Brand reaches $20M to $50M run-rate with proven Gen Z affinity | Strategics have repeatedly paid premium multiples for founder-led brands with cultural traction |
What compounding looks like. The flywheel for a brand like Habiza is distribution-led. Target shelf presence generates velocity data, velocity data unlocks expanded facings, and the larger budget compounds brand awareness. Earned media from the founder story shortens the customer-acquisition cost half of that loop [Forbes, May 2025] [Foodbeast].
The size of the win. Useful comparables exist. Siete Foods was acquired by PepsiCo in 2024 for a reported $1.2 billion. Closer-in, Hope Foods was acquired by Hain Celestial in 2015, and Sabra itself was a joint venture valued in the high hundreds of millions at formation.
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Habiza-specific evidence confirmed; comparable transactions drawn from public M&A reporting and presented as scenario context.
Sources
- [Forbes, May 2025] How A 22-Year-Old Landed The 'World's Creamiest Hummus,' Habiza, On Target Shelves | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewwatman/2025/05/12/how-a-22-year-old-landed-the-worlds-creamiest-hummus-habiza-on-target-shelves/
- [Snackfax] Habiza Raises $2.5M To Reinvent The Hummus Aisle With Gen Z Appeal | https://snackfax.com/food-beverage/habiza-raises-2-5m-to-reinvent-the-hummus-aisle-with-gen-z-appeal/
- [Nosh, 2026] Tinder, Foodbeast and Habiza: Gen Z Hummus Locks Down $2.5M and U.S. Tahini | https://www.nosh.com/news/2026/tinder-foodbeast-and-habiza-gen-z-hummus-locks-down-2-5m-and-u-s-tahini/
- [Nosh.com, 2025] Foodbeast Backs Habiza Hummus in Debut Venture Deal | https://www.nosh.com/news/2025/foodbeast-backs-habiza-hummus-in-debut-venture-deal/
- [PitchBook, 2026] Habiza 2026 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/520882-48
- [CB Insights] Habiza - Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees, Headquarters Locations | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/habiza
- [Foodbeast] This 22-Year-Old Turned His Grandma's Hummus Into An Erewhon And Target Hit | https://www.foodbeast.com/news/this-22-year-old-turned-his-grandmas-hummus-into-an-erewhon-and-target-hit/
- [Startup to Storefront] #0222 - Habiza Hummus - Jonathan Srour | https://www.startuptostorefront.com/episodes/0222-habiza-hummus-jonathan-srour
- [Tasting Table] 5 Habiza Hummus Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best | https://www.tastingtable.com/2088366/habiza-hummus-flavors-ranked-worst-best/
- [Erewhon] Habiza Authentic Original Hummus | https://erewhon.com/product/7794791000/hummus-authentic-original
- [Target] Habiza Hummus products at Target | https://www.target.com/b/habiza-hummus/-/N-q643le82loe
- [LinkedIn] Patrick Garot, CPA-MBA - Habiza | https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickgarot/
- [bizprofile.net] Habiza Hummus Inc. Los Angeles, CA filing information | https://www.bizprofile.net/ca/los-angeles/habiza-hummus-inc
- [Instagram] Habiza (@habizahummus) | https://www.instagram.com/habizahummus/
Articles about Habiza
- Habiza Is Putting a Lebanese Family Hummus Recipe on Every Target Shelf — Solo founder Jonathan Srour took a driveway operation to Erewhon, Ralphs, and Target. A $2.5M seed round funds the next aisle push.