Little Sesame raises $8.5M for new Maryland hummus factory and expansion
Why it matters: They're following in the footsteps of D.C. success stories like Sweetgreen and Cava — local flavor to national brand.
Driving the news: Little Sesame's new funding, led by InvestEco (which backs holistic brands like Lesser Evil), will power a new 23,000-square-foot production facility in Prince George's County, set to open next fall.
Co-founder Nick Wiseman tells Axios the factory will quadruple capacity and include a test kitchen for chef Ronen Tenne's signature hummus flavors — plus a new kids' line and healthy snacks.
By the numbers: The facility can produce 400,000 lbs of hummus weekly for 3,000+ stores nationwide.
It will churn through 1.5 million lbs of organic American chickpeas each year.
The expansion fuels organic farming. Little Sesame is working with the USDA and its Montana farmers to shift 10,000 acres to regenerative, organic farming by 2027.
Flashback: Little Sesame started small nearly a decade ago — a pop-up counter in the basement of Wiseman's former Dupont deli, DGS.
Their pandemic launch into grocery started with 14 local Whole Foods.
Their fast-casual flagship still slings seasonal hummus bowls near Dupont.
What's next: More restaurants? "Never say never," Wiseman tells Axios, though he's focused on retail.
The team is rolling out collabs like a tomato-basil hummus with California's Bianco DiNapoli, launching nationwide soon.
The big picture: Hummus is booming. The American market was valued at $1.82 billion in 2023, according to Data Bridge — and the D.C.-Richmond corridor is the hummus hub.
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