Hummus is more popular than ever. In fact, most grocery stores now have a section dedicated to hummus, and for a long time that section was full of brands packaged in round shrink sleeve containers. Ithaca Cold-Crafted hummus was one of those brands until the desire to stand out from the competition led to the decision to switch to square packaging. “Even though we compete in a fairly crowded category, most grocery store hummus kind of tastes the same and looks the same, with all of the different round tubs and colored lids out there. We needed packaging that looked as unique and fresh as our hummus tastes,” says Christopher Kirby, founder and president of Ithaca Cold-Crafted.
To get that fresh taste, the hummus is made with cold-pressed, raw ingredients that are not preserved by being frozen, pasteurized or treated with chemical preservatives. Foregoing the industry standard of heat pasteurization, the cold-pressing process keeps the flavors and nutrients of the ingredients unchanged. The process requires using high pressure processing (HPP) which eliminates listeria, yeast and mold while ensuring a 100-day shelf life.