I was born into a family of skilled hummus craftsmen.
My bloodline extends all the way to Alexander, when he invaded Persia and introduced the chickpea to Esfahan.
It is said that Jesus Christ himself tasted the hummus of my ancestors and was inspired to start a new religion based on how sublime the experience was.
Just kidding…
In late 2017, I was a 26-year-old finance geek living in Downtown San Francisco.
Fed up with the monotony and spiritually unfulfilling nature of corporate life, I Googled “How to start a food business in SF”.
Armed with a few of my own delicious hummus recipes, an earnest desire to spread joy and creativity through food, and the uncompromising belief that taste and quality of ingredients should always come first, I set out to build Obour Foods.
I quit my job, formed an LLC, found a shared commercial kitchen, and got to work.
Today, Obour is the Bay Area’s go-to for hummus, tahini, pita chips and more.
You’ll find us at over 20 weekly farmers markets across the Bay Area and Los Angeles, on shelves at select grocery stores, available straight from our branded fridges at many local breweries and taprooms, plus our flagship shop at the iconic San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace. Our 35-person team produces, delivers, and sells our products with a relentless dedication to taste, freshness, and good vibes.
Everything we make is prepared fresh each week, in small batches, at our commercial kitchen in San Francisco’s Bayview District — not in some distant, outsourced factory.
Our globally-inspired flavors are crafted with care, creativity, and a zero-compromise approach to sourcing.
We care. We’re obsessed with quality (like, truly obsessed).
Our chickpeas? Always organic, never canned, and soaked overnight for a perfect creamy texture.
Our lemon juice? Organic, fresh-pressed locally, and never bottled.
Our olive oil? Organic, extra-virgin, and cold-pressed for clean, vibrant flavor.
Our tahini? Lightly toasted and ground fresh in-house each week from organic sesame seeds.
Our spices and blends? Fresh, aromatic, and chosen for bold flavor and authenticity.
Preservatives? Never.
We shun plastic. Instead, we use eco-friendly reusable glass jars — and thanks to our jar return program, our customers help reduce our packaging footprint by nearly 50%.
All of this adds up to what many have told us is the best hummus they’ve ever had.
We’re inclined to agree. I hope you do, too.
Elliot Sharifi
Founder & Chief Hummus Officer
Obour Foods
Lion & the Sun
The Lion & the Sun (Farsi: 'Shir-o-Khorshid') is one of the main emblems of Iran and has been woven into its fabric (literally - it was on the Iranian flag until 1979) since the 12th-century. The meanings behind its various features will always depend on who you ask, but right now, we want you to associate it with some really good hummus.