Every great business begins with a simple idea—in Nick Wiseman's case, it was a hummus spread served during family meals in a New York City restaurant kitchen. Today, Little Sesame has transformed from a local DC favorite to a rapidly growing national brand, proving with the right strategy, a chef's special can become a nationwide sensation.
Nick’s entrepreneur journey began far from the world of consumer packaged goods. As a 15-year-old wrestling hopeful turned restaurant enthusiast, he embarked on a culinary path that led him through prestigious kitchens in DC and New York, where he worked alongside renowned chefs and learned the intricacies of food preparation. It was at Altamarea Group NYC in 2010 that Nick met his cofounder and the chef behind the hummus recipe, Ronen Tenne.
It was during family meals—those intimate staff gatherings before restaurant service—that the seed of Little Sesame was planted. "Ronen was famous for making hummus at family meals in the restaurant, and everyone always wanted Ronan to cook family meals," Nick says.
Turn your favorite recipe into a booming CPG brand
Nick knew they had something great- but getting the speciality hummus packaged and flying off store shelves took a lot more time and effort.
1. Start small and test relentlessly
Nick’s first piece of advice for entrepreneurs? Don't try to do everything at once. "It can be so daunting when you're trying to take that first step," he says. Little Sesame's growth was intentionally incremental. They started hosting small pop-up events, then community dinners beyond the staff at the restaurants, and finally started making full appearances at local farmers markets.
Testing in as many low-risk environments as possible will help you gather genuine customer feedback and refine your product without sacrificing an immense amount of capital.
2. Build and prioritize authentic relationships
Relationships are everything, especially as a founder managing team members, suppliers, and customers. Nick credits much of Little Sesame's early success to building trust across all of the ecosystems. "Strong relationships, and trust and transparency... that's always gonna lead to the best results."
This philosophy extended to their agricultural partnerships. Since day one Nick and Ronen have worked closely with regenerative farmers like Casey Bailey, as they grew from ordering 50 pounds of ingredients to now purchasing 50,000-pound truckloads.
3. Create a meaningful community
“Community is thrown around loosely a lot, but I think the power of community is when you create this real opportunity for dialogue and conversation and engagement,” Nick says.
This philosophy is why Little Sesame launched the Hummus Club, a seasonal bundle that comes with a limited edition flavor and some fan favorites. It is more than just a marketing tactic—it is a genuine engagement platform. "Community requires reciprocation and engagement," Nick explains. The club allows customers to have a voice and shape elements of the brand, providing data on which flavors might become permanent.
With Hummus Club, Little Sesame has developed an incredibly loyal customer base that provides the brand with both product feedback and vocal support by sharing the flavors at dinner parties or as gifts for friends and family.
4. Think outside the box for funding
When you have a strong brand and a loyal customer following you have the power to consider creative funding opportunities. “Funds want to see growth. You want to build a really healthy foundation, and that's a healthy foundation of the business and the economics of, [but] that's also a healthy foundation of customers that believe in you,” Nick says.
In a challenging economic environment, Nick didn't rely on bootstrapping or traditional venture capital. Instead, he used the support of his community to accomplish the following.
He:
- Applied for grants (including a $2.5 million USDA Organic Market Development Grant)
- Explored alternative funding from mission-aligned banks
- Prioritized building a healthy business foundation and brand before seeking investors
From how they raise money, support a thriving community, and make people rethink how they source ingredients and consider their food ecosystems, Nick and Ronen always knew Little Sesame was about more than selling a really good hummus. The brand’s commitment to regenerative agriculture means every hummus container represents an investment in sustainable farming."We get this opportunity every day to invest our dollars in food and brands that do things the right way and invest in good agriculture that will serve us for generations,” Nick says.
Are you a food entrepreneur with a dream? You’re in luck, every nationwide brand started with a single, passionate idea. Tune into the full Shopify Masters episode to hear more.
