From Selling Hummus in Shanghai via WeChat to Launching in All Mejier Doors | Hannah Awada, Hummus Goodness

On this episode, we're joined by Hannah Awada, Co-founder and CEO of Hummus Goodness - the Michigan-based brand making authentic, clean-label Lebanese-style hummus with real ingredients and zero preservatives.We talk about selling hummus out of her kitchen window in Shanghai to expats on WeChat, to re-launching Hummus Goodness in a church kitchen in Michigan in 2019. Hannah walks through the formulation decisions that keep the product authentic - olive oil over soybean oil, fresh lemon juice, no citric acid - and how a made-to-order production model protects cash and margin.A big part of the conversation focuses on the Meijer relationship - how a competitor recall opened the door, how Hannah grew from 3 local format stores to all 278 Meijer locations, and why in-store demos remain her number one velocity driver. Hannah also breaks down the brand's major packaging refresh, going from a clear cup with a white lid to bold, personality-driven packaging with playful flavor names like Garlic Glory and The Big Dill.We also get into the anchor account strategy Hannah uses for new market expansion, bootstrapping for five years before a pre-seed round with Michigan Rise, and the tight-knit Michigan CPG founder community she leans on.---------------Episode Highlights:🏠 Origin story: selling hummus out of a kitchen window in Shanghai🧪 Formulation: olive oil, fresh lemon, and zero preservatives⏱️ Made-to-order production (not made-to-stock)⛪ From a church kitchen to a 7,000 cups/week operation🏭 Finding a manufacturing partner through family connections🛒 How a competitor recall opened the door at Meijer📈 Growing from 3 local format stores to all 278 Meijer locations🎯 In-store demos as the #1 velocity driver🎨 The packaging rebrand that matched the brand's personality✈️ Food service channel (Delta Sky Lounges, universities)💸 Bootstrapping for 5 years before a pre-seed round🤝 The Michigan CPG founder community👀 "Kitchen Couture" and the rise of beautiful packaging---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro00:48 – Origin story: Shanghai to Michigan03:30 – Lessons from selling hummus in Shanghai05:08 – Formulation and shelf life without preservatives07:10 – Church kitchen to own facility09:36 – Scaling from 700 to 7,000 cups a week for Meijer11:00 – Finding a manufacturing partner13:17 – Co-packer relationship advice15:00 – How a competitor recall opened the door at Meijer17:03 – Growing to all 278 Meijer stores19:29 – Bootstrapping for five years22:07 – Anchor account strategy for new markets25:20 – Driving velocity at retail27:02 – The packaging rebrand31:13 – Rebrand rollout lessons33:10 – Food service as a channel36:13 – Michigan CPG founder community38:18 – Kitchen Couture and trends to watch---------------Links:Hummus Goodness – https://www.hummusgoodness.com/Follow Hannah on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanadyawada/Follow Hummus Goodness on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/hummus-goodness/Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.