Sabra stated that the sesame seeds grown in the US are not up to its gold standard and hence the company has developed its own tahini-grade sesame seeds
Sabra to produce its own sesame seeds. (Credit: Pixabay/TheUjulala.)
Sabra, an American hummus-maker, has announced that it will grow a tahini-grade, non-GMO sesame seeds in the US.
The sesame seed variety is claimed to have been developed by Sabra specifically to bring flavour and texture to tahini, a key ingredient in hummus. The company has also filed for a patent on the sesame seed variety.
Hummus is made from a blend of plant-based ingredients such as chickpeas, ground sesame seeds (tahini), oil and garlic. Good quality tahini is claimed to give rich flavour and creamy texture to hummus.
While Sabra sources the chickpeas from family-owned farms in the Pacific Northwest, the majority of sesame seeds that are grown in the US, are claimed to not have met the company’s gold standard for use in tahini until now, driving Sabra to develop its own variety of sesame seeds.
Sabra CEO Tomer Harpaz said: “The current global crisis has accelerated many pre-existing trends, one of which is the strategic importance of our complex food supply chain.
“We believe food companies must play a critical role investing in the sustainability of our food supply and in processing technologies, constantly adding value from the farm to the consumer table.
“Food companies have a responsibility to make technology investments in their core and sesame has always been core for Sabra.”
Both chickpea and sesame crops are laden with wholesome nutrition, environmental benefits and the high-yields make the crops attractive to growers.
Legumes also have the capability of nitrogen fixation and sesame thrives in arid areas, enabling reduced environmental footprint and lower demand for water.
Sabra aims to harvest enough sesame seeds to produce a portion of tahini this year
Currently, Sabra is seeding for this year harvest and expects the yield to be sufficient to produce a portion of tahini for the company’s needs for the year.
Sabra procurement and sustainability senior director Susan Hickey said: “Sabra works with U.S. farmers to grow chickpeas for our hummus and we are thrilled that in the near future, we will be sourcing the majority of sesame for tahini from U.S. growers as well.
“The proprietary seeds we developed will not only deliver the flavor and texture we require, but this agricultural innovation will be a long-term differentiator, enabling us to consistently produce an unparalleled superior crop and improve traceability and sustainability across the supply chain as more consumers bring hummus home.”