Page 7 - BusinessWest August 19, 2024

“We’re a trusted part of the community, and that’s lovely. These people are part of our lives.”
mus-flavored hummus’ came from an ad cam- paign for Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which, for a while, pitched ‘vodka-flavored vodka,’ striving for authenticity in a vodka market overrun by trendy flavors.
“It’s the same kind of concept, and I really like it,” he noted. “It’s also easy when I’m talk- ing to new stores and they say, ‘OK, how many SKUs do you have?’ ‘I’ve got this one SKU.’ ‘Oh, I can fit that in.’”
But the wholesale products will broaden, Grossman was quick to add.
“The next thing up, that people are very excited about, are our pita chips: ‘when are you going to do the pita chips?’ That’s probably something that I would turn to a co-packer for and not try and develop my own capacity to produce on a wholesale scale,” he explained. “But I really want to do the hummus very care- fully, and I want to make sure that the business model is sustainable and something we know we can grow confidently before we start with other products.”
In a typical week, Holyoke Hummus focuses
on food production on Monday, packaging and distributor pickup happen on Tuesday, and the food-truck activity typically takes place Thursday through Sunday, at places ranging from food co-ops to concerts and parties.
On the week, they spoke with BusinessWest, Grossman and Cordeiro were getting ready for a brewfest at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, a 50th-anniversary party at Cummington Supply, concerts at Look Park in Northampton and Tree House Brewing Co. in Deerfield, and a food-truck roundup in Brattleboro. “That’s a pretty heavy week — usually it’s two or three truck events,” Grossman said.
Cordeiro said it’s gratifying to be ingrained in the Pioneer Valley community through the truck and, now, through stores. “It’s exciting
Holyoke Hummus has become a popular sight at local events that welcome food trucks.
that we’re part of people’s milestones. I’ll hear, ‘my mom has loved you for the past 10 years. We’d love to have you at her 70th birthday party.’”
Meanwhile, at weekly events like farmers’ markets in Northamp- ton, fans will take home hummus for their fridge, she added, so it’s gratifying to be able
to tell them, “by the
way, you can get it in
the store.”
Hummus
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Continued on page 40
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Daniel J. Mastella, MD The Hand Center
With support from PeoplesBank, The Hand Center has expanded
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The right partner
“We provide The Hand Center with efficient, user friendly services so they can focus on
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Daniel Bishop Commercial Banking PeoplesBank [email protected]
for business
Watch Video bankatpeoples.com/businessteam 413.538.9500
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