ARTICLE / THE MAKING OF... SERIES
The making of...
Tahini Neri.
When we started chatting with Rikki Goldman, Co-founder of Tahini Neri, she immediately got to the heart of her and her husband Neri’s ‘Why’ - “In the Middle East, food and hospitality is everything. Families, friends, and communities regularly bond over shared plates and dips. We wanted to share this feeling of togetherness and our passion for Tahini with the world.” Kapow. That got our attention. Beyond making mouth-wateringly oh-so-good dips, Tahini Neri’s story is another fantastic example of how to build a brand on authenticity… and warmth. This is the making of… Tahini Neri.
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The making of... Series
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#TahiniNeri #deliciousdips #healthysnacking #plantbased #middleeasternflavors #startupstories #startup #growthstrategy #foodinnovation #cleanlabel #entrepreneurlife
Hey Rikki, thank you for sharing that little snapshot of your and Neri’s ‘Why’. We’re big fans and there’s a lot of debate over which dip is our fav (Hummus might have the edge). So, can you tell us a bit more about your story?
Thanks for the kind words, we have the same debate every day! So, we’re passionate about food and about family, as co-founders and as a couple we have always shared a love of healthy, wholesome ingredients. But a good place to start is with Neri's background.
Neri has been in and around kitchens since childhood, surrounded by food and real home cooking for the masses. He has watched his grandmother ‘Safta’ run the kitchen on their kibbutz, cooking delicious shared meals for over 800 people every day.
When Neri moved to Australia from the Middle East he craved the taste of home and wanted to share those flavours with me.
What started as Neri making homemade tahini for friends and family, progressed to rogue selling out the front of Baker Bleu (because who doesn’t want to pick up a dip with their fresh bread?) but we were quickly “moved along” from the street.
That experience and the positive feedback encouraged us to venture to the weekly farmers market which solidified our product and concept - we sold out every weekend! Once we landed our first retail store in Caulfield, a local Jewish deli, Tahini Neri took off.
We have the same authentic recipe today - nothing has changed about the taste but our reach has certainly grown.
Rikki Goldman, co-founder of Tahini Neri
Testing your product-market fit on friends and family is always a good starting point for validating your vision and initial research. What other research did you do to support your plan?
Nothing beats face-to-face feedback, the farmers market was invaluable for getting taste reactions in real-time and building a following of returning customers to the market each week.
We spent 12 months perfecting our hummus recipe with an experienced in-house food tech who had previously worked with the dip brand, Yumi’s.
Our goal was for our hummus to taste exactly as if you were eating it in the Middle East and we achieved that, the best quality, authentic and delicious.
It sounds like the first iterations of the dip was perfect 🙂 Ok, let’s talk money. When is came to initially funding things, what did you do?
We used what we had. Small personal savings, wedding gifts… we are a boot-strapped business built on belief.
Belief is worth its weight in gold. When branding Tahini Neri, how did you develop the brand identity? How did you get to where you are today?
I am highly brand-focused and have a knack for picking up early trends and looking to overseas markets for inspiration. My background in design and eye for detail means I work very closely with our in-house design team on all of our branding, visual and creative content.
Fantastic. The brand does channel more than a passing nod to a Middle Eastern heritage. How about awareness? How are you getting the word out there?
Brand awareness is a great challenge, as is combining customer-facing and online promotion. I love being in store, merchandising the shelves and presenting our products to people walking by.
Sampling has been a big part of our success – people try our products once and they get hooked, I guess you could call it ‘Taste of Mouth’.
On social media, we like to keep it light and engaging with fun and quirky reels.
‘Taste of Mouth’ - love it. We can tell it’s been very effective already. Brand evangelists are great for validation. Moving on, it’s crystal ball time. What big challenges are on the horizon?
Growth and keeping up with demand, it’s a challenge we're excited to face.
We have just moved to a large facility in Braeside four times the size of our previous premises.
Growth is always a nice challenge to tackle. Right, before we wrap things up with the final question, we’d like to thank you for sharing your story with us. Keep us in the loop as the next chapter of your story.
Now for that question. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give another founder setting out on their startup journey?
Persistence is key. It’s not easy every day, but every day is a new day. Challenges come up all the time so don’t throw in the towel too early, with a good night’s rest things seem clearer and the next day gets a little easier.
