When Tribe Mediterranean Foods was founded in 1993, most Americans had no idea what hummus was. Twenty-five years later, the chickpea-based dip has become a household staple. In fact, the U.S. counts for more than 35 percent of the global consumption of hummus.
In late 2016, Tribe made the switch to non-GMO canola oil, a change that gave Tribe the ability to become an SGS-certified hummus containing no GMO ingredients. The brand’s more recent decision to remove artificial preservatives, specifically potassium sorbate, meant an updated clean design was necessary to coincide with the clean label. “We saw an opportunity for a hummus brand to own ‘all natural’ clean label,” says Alan Graham, vice president of marketing for Tribe Mediterranean Foods. “Our core primary research showed that consumer’s purchase decisions are most influenced by ingredients (30 percent) and flavor (34 percent), and those ingredients focused on all natural or no artificial preservatives.”