Did you know chickpeas were grown on a farm in Virgina?
Ya, I didn’t either.
I recently went on a fabulously fun (and educational) press trip to visit Sabra hummus to learn how these wee little chickpeas turn into their tasty hummus. Pretty interesting, to say the least.
A few weeks ago I was flown down to Richmond, Virginia to tour the Sabra test kitchens, factory and farms.
I’m not gunna lie. It was the cleanest, most beautiful factory and assembly line I’ve ever seen….and I’ve seen quite a few in the last year on numerous press trips. The Sabra staff dressed us head to toe in ear plugs, a hard hat, a hair net, long pants, a long cape jacket and shoe protectors…I looked hysterical (note there are no images of me dressed up)!
How amazing is this office space?
It was chickpea heaven.
Sabra picked 10 bloggers to work with them for 2013 and I am one of them! I’m so excited because my clients, my family and I are beyond obsessed with their creamy hummus and now they are making guacamole and salsa, too! More to come on the new salsa (I’m working on a tasty recipe using it right now)…
It’s going to be a yummy year, to say the least!
Below are the little baby chickpeas before they sprout on the farm.
Our trip started in the Sabra test kitchens where we learned tricks n’ tips for using Sabra hummus in our recipes. The talented Sabra chef, shown below actually made us a cake with hummus.
Yes, a dessert treat using hummus that was actually beautiful and delicious. Pretty cool, isn’t it? I can’t wait to try to make some muffins using hummus- it’s surprisingly SO moist when you bake with it.
After tasting every flavor of hummus, salsa and guacamole we enjoyed a hummus-filled lunch and then headed out to the chickpea fields to learn about how chickpeas are grown and the detailed process that Sabra takes from the chickpea farm to those pretty red Sabra hummus packages you see in the food store.
I was beyond impressed with the knowledge of the Sabra team – we learned about how the chickpeas are planted, grown and cared for. I thought it was so interesting to see two different kids of chickpeas being grown (shown below).
Overall, my 3 days with Sabra was such a fantastic trip. Lots of laughs, lots of fun and lots n’ lots of hummus in the Richmond sunshine! I had no idea there were so many flavors of Sabra and now I’m on the lookout to find ’em all in Manhattan.
Amazing.
What a really cool trip! I’ll admit that I’m slowly coming around to chickpeas. Was not a fan at first, but they’re growing on me. Of course, an excellent garlic hummus makes all the difference in the world–give me some pita or bell peppers and I just can’t stop myself! Thanks for the behind-the-scenes look! So wonderful meeting you on Wednesday–I hope we see each other again soon!
Thanks Carrie; loved meeting you too! Have a wonderful weekend!
Sounds like an interesting trip Amie! I’d love to try baking with chickpeas…such a great idea! It was so nice meeting you in NYC this week…looking forward to following your blog!
Thanks Caroline; so great meeting you too! Have a fabulous holiday weekend.
Hi Amie!
Great story!
That sure was a most amazing trip. I also was amazed at the super clean conditions in that beautiful workspace where all things hummus were made & also that it’s an LEED certified facility! Go Green!
The thing that hit me the most was how much the employees care about the company. It’s really like they are a big family.
It was great meeting you. I learned a lot from you while we were Sabra’s guests. Take care of yourself.
Awe; thank you Ray! So great to hear from you! I loved meeting you and had such a great time on this trip. Your story was a true inspiration to all of us! Keep up the amazing work and thank you again for stopping by to say hello. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
What a great behind-the-scenes look at Sabra! I’ve loved their hummus ever since college. Anyway, it was great meeting you yesterday on the test kitchen tour, and I hope we run into each other at future events in the city!
Thank you Diana; so great to meet you too! Have a wonderful weekend!!
Wow, I had no idea. I live in Israel and we live on Sabra Humus. I always thought that it was made here. Hmmm, you learn something new everyday. I have made a great gf chocolate chip cake using chickpeas. It was out of this world! BTW, a “Sabra” is a native born Israeli. It is the name of the Sabra fruit- prickly pear. Prickly on the outside, sweet and juicy on the inside, just like Israelis!
That sounds amazing; I can’t wait to make chickpea cookies!
That sounds like a really fun trip! And I would love to know how muffins with hummus come out. I have a question: I’ve always heard that packaged hummus almost always has glutens for some reason, do you know if that’s true for Sabra? Thanks!
Thanks Gina; I Can’t wait to start baking with hummus!!
They are completely gluten-free! That’s why my clients and I love them. Their factory was spotless- so incredibly clean- it was amazing and I was beyond impressed!
I LOVE Sabra’s hummus. Please send us your dessert recipes using hummus. I’m ready to bake 🙂
This looks so fun – and I had no idea chickpeas were so cute when they’re just sprouting up!
Awesome trip! You were only a couple hours from me. I LOVE Sabra Hummus. My friend’s dad is one of the growers for them. How awesome is that! Looking forward to your muffins with hummus recipes. I’m thinking it would work really well in corn muffins…