Little Sesame Raises $8.5M Series A To Scale Hummus Production

Hummus maker Little Sesame has closed a $8.5 million Series A funding round led by InvestEco Capital with participation from Watchfire Ventures, Santatera Capital, Beliade Consumer Partners, and other prominent individual industry investors.

The company will use the capital to expand manufacturing capabilities, with plans to open a 23,000 sq. ft. production facility by the end of the year. The new site, which includes a test kitchen and an in-house high-pressure processing operation, will significantly increase the brand’s production capacity.

“When we opened up our first factory in 2022, we were producing 1,000 lbs of hummus per week. Today, that number is 80,000 lbs per week, and by the end of the year, we expect to be producing upwards of 100,000 lbs of hummus a week,” Nick Wiseman, CEO and co-founder, told Nosh today via email.

The increased capacity is expected to support the company’s mission to scale partnerships with regenerative chickpea farmers and transition 10,000 acres to regenerative management by 2027.

“From day one, we’ve sourced our organic American-grown chickpeas from Casey Bailey, a pioneer in regenerative agriculture in Montana; as our business needs have grown, we’ve since expanded to other farmers in the area, but all of them farm regeneratively, meaning the way they farm actually improves soil health and the environment over time. It’s not just about better hummus, but a better food system,” Wiseman said.

Additionally, Little Sesame will invest in new product development, including an expansion of its Hummus for Kids line, which debuted last year in lunchbox-ready on-the-go cups.

“Given the initial success and interest we saw, we plan to expand the kids’ line and also are exploring other extensions into healthy snacking,” Wiseman said. “Seasonal flavors have also become a big part of how we keep things fresh and exciting at Little Sesame. After the success of Golden Garlic and Green Goddess this spring, we brought back our fan-favorite Mexican Street Corn for summer. We’re now working on our biggest brand collab yet for the next seasonal flavor, dropping by the end of this year and look forward to sharing more soon.”

The Washington, D.C.-based startup has scaled its retail footprint to nearly 3,000 stores nationwide, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Foxtrot, Erewhon and more. Last year alone, the company added more than 1,000 new retail doors while also securing partnerships with online grocers Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods.

Beyond retail, Little Sesame is building a presence in the foodservice market, Wiseman said, citing limited-time offerings at Call Your Mother, Blackseed Bagels and Birdcall, as well as a partnership with Sweetgreen as the primary supplier for its hummus crunch salad.

The latest funding will also support new additions to the team, Wiseman said. In January, the company tapped Oatly North America executive Drew Martin as its new chief commercial officer.

“We’re excited to be adding talented new people up and down our organization; we’re people-powered, and this capital allows us to build a deeper team that can help us deliver the highest quality product, disrupt the category and scale into a household brand,” Wiseman said.

Hummus and refrigerated dips have become an increasingly competitive category. Little Sesame has contributed 46% of category growth at Whole Foods Market in the past year and stands out as an organic, Clean Label Project certified offering that relies only on squeezed lemon juice as its preservative, Wiseman said.

“Consumers consistently say we’re the best-tasting store-bought hummus available,” he added. “Our fine dining restaurant roots have informed our approach to manufacturing and quality even as we grow.”

He continued, “As we like to say, we’re founded and made by chefs. Our hummus is freshly spun in small batches at our own facility just outside D.C., giving us full control over quality and eliminating the need for co-packers.”