Kasih Food Production Co, based in Jordan, has unveiled a new range of hummus products called Mézete which have an extended shelf life of 18 months.
The new Mézete hummus product line, which is all natural with no preservatives, utilises a new technology that produces aseptic hummus in its production plant.
To aid with the 18 month shelf life, Mézete also utilises three of Tetra Pak’s aseptic packaging options, with Mézete in the TFA 1kg package aimed at the foodservice sector and the TBA 135g and TFA 70g packs, focusing on the ever-growing on-the-go snacking trend.
The company aims to have many more products in its extended line in the future including beans, okra in oil and lentils with rice and onions.
Khaled Kasih, general manager at Kasih Food Food Production Co, told FoodBev Media: “Launching this hummus product has not been easy, it’s been a long journey for us, with €10 million investment. It’s interesting that now Tetra Pak will have a hummus product in its aseptic packaging, which usually has had milk or juice products in, but now with Tetra Brik and Tetra Fino we are utilising UHT technologies to keep our product fresh.”
While Mézete has been unveiled at the Anuga fair in Germany, the product will first be launched in Jordan and the Middle East where the company already has distribution channels set up.
Kasih explained that while this region will be the main area for focus at first, the company is under no illusion that it needs to release in other regions, specifically Europe and the US, as Mézete aims to gain a share of the hummus market which is projected to reach $1.1 billion globally by 2022.
“It’s only a matter of time before we enter into European markets. We are aiming for this by the second half of 2018. We are continuously debating a factory in Europe, I believe that by 2019 we must have a European base so we can save money on shipping costs and other items. It would be more realistic for us to establish European operations.
“We have a sales target for Mézete of $100 million within three years and with Tetra Pak packaging solutions the future is bright.”
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