Stationed between an assorted nuts stand and bread tent, under swaying trees lining the Friendship Walk, Samer Khattab dances behind his hummus stand. He greets passerby with a smile and pita bread in hand, ready to recommend a spread.
Khattab is one of seven brothers who run Brothers Products, one of the several vendors that dotted the Friendship Walk Wednesday afternoon for the Farmers Market organized by Associated Students Inc.
Khattab woke up at around 6 a.m. for the ASI Farmers Market where he set up his table with pita bread, spreads and dips, ranging in flavors from spicy garlic hummus to eggplant dip.
Brothers Products goes to as many as 70 different farmers markets across Southern California, traveling to locations from Riverside to Hollywood. Aside from vending at farmers markets, the family business maintains its main storefront in Garden Grove.
“The family vibe in this business is what made it as strong as it is now,” Khattab said.
Brothers Products has been in operation for about 10 years. Born and raised in Jordan, Samer moved to the United States when he was 11-years-old. A year after the move, he started to work in the family business which at that time only sold two variations of hummus and focused on homemade pita bread.
Today, Brothers Products offers a wide variety of hummus, dips and spreads— a familiar table setting for Khattab. Family breakfasts in Jordan with a spread of various hummus flavors is a memory Khattab cited.
Khattab admits that their current success not only comes from their products’ quality but the family aspect to Brothers Products. He credits his family to the business’ growth.
“Every year [we’re] growing in a certain way,” Khattab said. “Every year is better than the last one.”
The Farmers Market will return to the Friendship Walk Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.