Meet Amy, one Co-Founder of Soom Foods! We're obsessed with tahini -- throwback to our Coco Tahini Crunch Nut Butter -- and knew we needed to get the inside scoop from the tahini queen herself! You can reach more about Amy below!

Tell us a little about you!

I’m about to be 35 and I live outside Philadelphia with my husband, Darren, and our three young and fun boys - Henry, Jesse and Miles. I’m the youngest of three sisters, each of us have three kids, and we’re a very close family. 

What do you do for work? Tell us about your professional journey.

I am cofounder and CEO of Soom Foods, the leading tahini brand in the US market.  I started the company with my two sisters as I was graduating from college with a mission to make tahini a more popular ingredient in the United States. We made our first sale in May of 2013 and I spent the following many years traveling the country selling tahini to restaurants and independent markets.  We expanded into Whole Foods in the Mid Atlantic region in 2018 and went National with them in May of 2022.  Now Soom is sold to restaurants in over 40 states and is sold in around 3500 stores!

How do you stay motivated?

I meet someone everyday that has no idea what tahini is.  That motivates me immensely to stay on course to our commitment of consumer education.

Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in starting a business/blog?

It always takes longer and costs more…

What are your favorite ways to #spreadgood in your community?

I love leaning into my team at Soom Foods, as doing good for them trickles good into their own micro communities. If I can keep them feeling inspired and respected then they will pay that forward.

Who is one person who inspires you and why?

My mom, Cindy Zitelman.  She was also an entrepreneur and was successful enough in the mid 80s that it allowed our father the security to start his own business.  She worked really hard and retired when I was in middle school so she could spend more time with my sisters and me during our formative years. She’s my role model of a working mother.

How do you work to stay centered and practice self-care in your busy day-to-day reality?

I’ve been practicing yoga for 15 years because I love taking time to not only do something great for my mind and body, but also because somebody else is telling me what to do while I’m on the mat.  I’m still inflexible and can’t remember the Sanskrit yoga names, but I try to practice at least 20 minutes a day.

What do you like to do for fun, when you aren't working?

I love taking my kids to our local museums - Philadelphia has amazing options like the Please Touch and Franklin Institute - and watching them explore and learn.  We like to go on nature walks and play outside on playgrounds. 

What are some of your favorite recipes with Ground Up?

Cookies are my favorite sweet, so I substitute Ground Up in a variety of recipes that use other nut butters.  I also love adding Ground Up into my smoothies and milkshakes! 

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