How do you know you’re doing hummus right? When the international visitors tell you it’s some of the best they’ve tried in the world! This is the level that Baraka Foods is hitting, and they’re proud of it.
Alan Schwarz has been running Baraka Foods for five years and the business specialises in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine, including hummus, babaganoush, tahini and labneh cheese. ‘Our products are made using traditional recipes passed down through the generations, with some modern adaptations,’ Alan says.
The products have found popularity in the Northern Rivers thanks to being gluten-free, GMO-free, preservative-free, and not using any artificial colours or flavours. Baraka Foods also offers a large vegan range.
Alan says 2021 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the business, with a completely reconfigured production site. ‘We’re feeling good because we’ve refreshed and modernised,’ he says. ‘We have a purpose-built site, which means much better product flow of inputs coming through the production area, packing area, coolroom and dispatch. Everything feels really fresh and squeaky clean, and it makes us really proud of the business we are running and the products we’re creating for our customers.’
And what’s the hot tip for the autumnal and winter tables this year? Baraka’s salsa and babaganoush perform well in the cooler months, with more people starting to eat indoors.
Alan says that after five years the business is as passionate as ever and continues to live by its principles of employing local staff, sourcing ingredients locally, as much as possible, and minimising all waste within the business.
‘We are big on minimising food miles, and we work hard to generate very little waste,’ Alan says. ‘We have other businesses that repurpose some of our waste and we compost a lot of our green waste.’
Call by and see Baraka Foods at the Mullumbimby Farmers Markets from 7–11am every Friday.