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Food and Drink

Why hummus is looking for some sports fans

Lizzie O'Leary Aug 14, 2013
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Food and Drink

Why hummus is looking for some sports fans

Lizzie O'Leary Aug 14, 2013
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Can hummus become the next salsa? That’s what one brand of the chickpea/tahini blend is hoping.

Sabra Hummus wants to become the NFL’s official dips sponsor — which, yes, is a real thing. But that basically means the brand is looking for male consumers, says Duane Stanford from Bloomberg Businessweek.

“They’re trying to broaden hummus’ appeal,” he said. “Right now, you’ve got about 18 percent of the U.S. households that have ever bought hummus, so they feel there’s a lot of room to grow. People are very interested in it, and one of the ways that they want to expand it is to get guys interested… and the NFL is what they’re figuring.”

Hummus right now, according to Stanford, is purchased primarily in the Northeast U.S., and used mostly as a dip. “The next stage in growth [for Sabra] is to get people to spread it, like on toast or on bagels. And then the third stage would be to get them to use it as a side item, like mashed potatoes.”

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