Huwa

0:00Welcome to the Emerging Brands podcast. Sharing the stories behind brands you'll want to shop next. I'm your host, Kelly Bennett. I am a New York City-based brand strategist for CPG Food and Beverage Brands. In each episode, I'll take you behind the scenes of founders that are building better-for-you products and bringing them to market. it. Also, I talk to brand builders, retailers, industry experts, and tastemakers who help bring those cool products to your shopping cart. You will hear stories of real-life founders, their launch strategies, and practical advice you could use to grow your own brand or simply discover what's next on shelf.

0:42And the best part is you could shop all the brands featured on the show. This podcast is brought to you by Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is the go-to platform built for creator-powered retail activations. They're connecting everyday creators with CPG brands to generate shelf-level awareness, drive in-store momentum, and generate authentic content in markets that matter the most. Go to hummingbirds.com for all the details and let them know I sent you. This podcast is brought to you by Glimpse. Glimpse is an AI-powered deduction management tool that disputes and recovers invalid deductions. Winning brands thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours back to founders so that they can focus on what really matters most.

1:35If you're a brand selling in retail, go to tryglimpse.com backslash trial for 30 days free and let them know I sent you. Now let's dive into the new episode. Hi everyone. Welcome back to a new episode of Emerging Brands Podcast with Kelly Bennett. Today I have Bailel. He is the co-founder of Hua, which is a really incredible Palestinian olive oil based company. and I discovered this brand well first on Instagram and I got to taste test it at Summer Fancy Food. It was incredibly delicious. I love their story, their branding. This is a true family business and we're going to dive into that in detail because I find it incredibly fascinating.

2:25But Bilal, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your story.

2:30Bilal:I'm stoked to be here. Cool. So let's first dive into the brand, the olive oil category. There's a lot going on. There's a lot of brands on the market. But what did you see as a really important space that you wanted to build a brand around? Yeah. To be honest, I think we accidentally built a brand. I think this was very much like, I guess there was some planning, but there wasn't a level of like, we're going to go out and build a CPG brand. um the backstory is uh my place my whole family has been in like olive farming for like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds like as long as anyone can count like my full name is like bilal umar it goes on and on everyone's been like an olive farmer um there's like a lot of records no it's so dope yeah there's been like ottoman records of like yo like this land whatever whatever um you know like old deeds and stuff like that talking about you know taxation for the ottoman empire of us you know producing olives long as it's been happening you know some trees exist on land that are like a thousand years old like these giant beautiful husks so family's been doing it for a long time uh my dad uh came to the u.s uh a lot of general policy migration came in like the 70s 80s um and specifically chicago and pretty much for most of my life uh my uncle would send us these like large 17 liter tanks and uh these tanks were basically being dished out across uh chicago and like the Arab and Muslim community.

3:57Bilal:Whereas like to the point of like, but I would send me up to like the Northwest side or like we were able to Southwest, Southwest suburb, like entering, like whether it's around the neighborhood or like super far, just have you drive up and like drop off these tanks. Fast forward to COVID. I was bored with my dad and we were like, oh, I bet we could sell these to like your friends. And I was like, okay, let's just give it a shot. It's kind of worked a little bit as a proof of concept. And then eventually once I graduated college and uh we had more time we applied for this community grant like super like half half asked the application i'm not sure if it wants to go oh you're fine okay half asked the application and we won the queen's economic development fund because i was living in queens at the time and that's like the current edition of who did you see was like what's kind of i guess like a fun way for me and my dad to do something and then from there it evolved into uh just like us winning this grant and we're like okay how do we actually do this for real like this is an opportunity let's actually execute on it um and that's the backstory that's incredible what was the grant that you won what was it it's the queen's economic development innovation challenge something like that something like that qedc is their acronym yeah they're super dope they focus in on like you know low-income immigrant business and i think what i love about like both chicago and new york like parts of new york like queens especially is like you have all these families that are kind of do similar things and have like legit like products that are interesting or like really businesses and it's like hey you give them 20k they'll create something super interesting um right and i think who was like the prime case study for me for that so that's what you won the 20k grant pretty much and that helped us basically get some bottles get the you know the refilling registration and all that stuff and that's how we started that is so cool so this wasn't that long ago when did you officially start the cpg side of the business like 12 months ago we launched last november so it's very cool so summer fancy food was that one of your first trade shows that was our first ever trade show incredible yeah and similar to like the qdc grant it's like only possible because of the hatchery which is like really focused in on like and you know low-income immigrants or like people who grew up in chicago who like it's a space that is in chicago here that you know opens up resources to people in the city um which is kind of i think the story of who in general it's like only reason i know how to do like graphic design or any of that stuff is because after school programming i didn't study it um so that's kind of like the backstory i guess yeah it sounds like you come from a family of figuring out the next step of okay we have this idea what's the next step what's the next step and that type of mindset makes for a really good founder and operator too of just figuring it out because you're building something from scratch and when you have that mentality it's just a really great entrepreneurial mindset and it sounds like that very much runs through your family too yeah 100 like we might not have the most resources quote unquote typically especially with a lot of other founders but what I do have is like a bunch of people who are down to like get greedy and actually like execute on things and like work in interesting ways, which is that's the advantage, I guess, of like, if you're like from a, I guess, I don't know, like blue collar or whatever background.

7:18No, that's absolutely an advantage of knowing how to just execute and not overthink it and just get to work. I think that that's a huge advantage in business. So walk me through after After getting the grant and then starting to actually create this as a CPG brand, what were some of those early steps that you took? You mentioned teaching yourself graphic design. Did you also do the branding for the brand itself?

7:48Bilal:So I did. It was a mix. I hired artists to do the illustration. Okay. And I was from back home. And then we actually laid out the label and did all the actual art design and like the creative direction behind it. um i learned that stuff from like after school programming here in chicago uh there's like a very impactful youth program called you media that's defunded but basically like every single chicago artist in the last like 20 years has come out of it everyone from like chance the rapper to lucky to no name like all these famous artists kind of came out of this like little library space um when they were in high school and it like they would take kids very seriously they're like you just walk in just like kind of try to be somewhere warm in the winter um and then they'd be like hey have you ever thought about recording a song?

8:29Bilal:Have you ever thought about playing with a camera? And that's how I learned it. And I think from there, like, you took yourself very seriously. That was the same mindset going into this of like, hey, like, you know, I might not be quote unquote, like certified to be a graphic designer, but I know how to do this on, you know, technical level. Making it work. I love that. So what was the name of that program? U-Media. Y-O-U Media. Very cool. Well, that sounds like an incredible program and also taught you the skills. I mean, your branding was honestly what initially caught my eye. I thought it was really clever and cool and it told a story and it also felt very modern, but I could tell it had deep roots to it also within seconds.

9:12I got that feeling. Thank you. You're welcome. So what were those next steps of building up the brand? Yeah.

9:20Bilal:So I think the first thing we did was just talk to a bunch of people um so a mix of like talking to consumers um and then also talking to like everyone from like a buyer all the way up to uh you know like random people like in my family um and the core of that the goal of that was just basically how can we level up you know what does the space look like and then b what are the things that were the opportunities within food uh especially olive oil like we have this product like where should what should the positioning be and i think those interviews is what leveled up to all the other things like brand um and even just like strategy right like the reason we spent so much on packaging and like such an investment into it it's actually very labor-intensive to put our packaging together it's like it's kind of from an account level kind of stupid but it's like okay this like functions as marketing it has naturally like attractive it'll stand out on a shelf if we're going to be on a shelf um and that was feedback from like buyers and you know consumers so it was like how do you create something genuinely distinctive came from those interviews.

10:19How are you getting in front of those retail buyers?

10:24Bilal:So it depends. To be honest, on a national level, we haven't figured that out. But like on a local level, it's pretty easy to just walk in. You're like, hey, I got 12 bottles. You want them for free? Let me just sample. And you'll sell out those 12 bottles in like half an hour to an hour. And you're like, okay, I have three cases in the back. Do you want them? Here's my price sheet. And that's usually how we've gotten every single basically retailer uh was through the process and it works like go to these small mom especially if you're in new york like i was in new york for a while like right so many everyone from lincoln market to jubilee marketplace to insert even key foods they're owned by individual operators like go find a dude you could talk to shake their hand and like you know it's not that complicated well thank you for saying that because i feel like that space when you're going from the like an idea and starting to do that outreach to your first early retailers, it can feel really daunting and it can feel really overwhelming.

11:21So you sharing that practical advice is super helpful. So what was then the response in those early retailers?

11:33Bilal:I would say, I mean, it's positive. I think I try to have like a stick while I sample. So I'm always like, oh, come get a shot of olive oil. And I think from that, the actual person who's the buyer or like the manager of that store will like kind of see that and be like, OK, this is kind of funny. And like from there, it kind of snowballs. But yeah, I mean, like overall, it's been positive. But I know I didn't really answer it, but it's like, yeah, I'm good. No, I hear you. So you're saying that when you're sampling, you're sampling it, doing a shot of olive oil versus how most cases of saying like dipping in olive oil or sampling it with bread.

12:12Is that a differentiator? Pretty much.

12:15Bilal:I'm just trying to get someone in with a hook. Like think of it like you're making a TikTok. I'm just trying to basically get your attention and like get you to do like get you to get a reaction. like oh you have lemons or like something completely you have like chocolate milk in your you know uh basket i'm gonna make a comment on like oh you know what goes with chocolate milk like olive oil um and like through that you're gonna be like forced to engage and then from there i'll do my stick i'll do my like basically elevator 10 second pitch um that's pretty much our retail strategy in a nutshell what is your pitch when you when you get someone to pause um it depends on the person but the overall framing is the position of who which is like Like, do you want really fresh olive oil?

12:53Bilal:Like the majority of olive oil on shelves that you see is treated like canned beans. Olive oil is fruit juice. Like literally like, here's my cousin picking it. Here's me and him like hanging out under the tree picking it. And then here's it in front of your face. Tell me another olive oil on shelf that could do that. And that's pretty much the pitch. And so let me hear more about the family. I mean, it sounds like everyone is involved, which is super unique. and I'm sure comes with a unique setup of just running a business, but I would love to hear more of just how that all operates. Yeah, so every October, the entire family in Palestine goes down.

13:33Bilal:Most of my family is still in Palestine. They go down and basically just pick it, which is like a very big distinction from how other farming is done across the world. So the way we do it is we're literally handpicking. The extent of the technology is like, i do it on a ladder with a stick or um literally a like thing that's like this giant stick with a motor and it has like little fingers that it like well what's it called oscillates up and down uh versus like everywhere else in the world they attach a giant machine to it they shake it and everything that comes out is basically what's in the oil so got it um basically the entire family goes out and does that october you take it down to the community press from there um you press it into olive oil pretty much the day of so like no time for the olives to really oxidate or how many kind of process goes through it um and then pack it up and ship it into containers to come to america um so that's pretty much the family dynamic because like family's picking it family's packing it up and then like when it comes in the states it's like you know my dad me and my sister packing it like my sister's like a dental student like super smart and she's like packing probably people's orders um so and what for your family is the buy-in of supporting this business and like the thing that they're really excited about coming together on yeah i think selfishly like especially for me my sister for my dad i think is like oh it's just an excuse to hang out i think also a lot of uh immigrant men his age like their only way of socializing is through work and labor so it's a natural built-in way of he's kind of hanging out with us but for us it's like oh this is like a pretty easy way to like a hang out with their dad and meet him where he's at and then b um have a connection back home to our cousins at belside right like once this older generation kind of like, you know, ages out and kind of et cetera, et cetera.

15:17Bilal:The connection through it is going to be through your cousins. And it's like the tighter we could be, even if we didn't grow up side by side, the better it is for everyone involved. So I think that's like the motivation behind it. That's really beautiful. Where do you see this brand going? Like what would be the big vision maybe for the year ahead after being in business this last year? yeah so i mean continuing to kind of scale and like refine operations i think is the big one for this year um we operate on harvests olives are harvested in october good olives are harvested in october most olive oil the u.s is harvested in february um uh so we harvest in october like pretty much this year it's the reset date like what things can we improve on and make this operation actually run smoother where it's you know i still have a day job my sister still I was in school.

16:05Bilal:Like, how can we like have it be less of all time consuming and it just be kind of more of a genuine operating business where it's not, you know, if me and her get sick, the whole business goes and falls apart. That's the big goal for this year, I'd say. Just tightening up operations so that you could streamline. Very cool. And what has been the response from consumers, from retailers, from even fancy food? Has the response been really great and motivating to keep refining and really taking this to the next level yeah 100 i think the oil itself stands out like if you try it it's very distinctive and there's a lot of factors to it from the way we're actually harvesting it all the way down to the actual region is harvested from right most olive oil in general goes towards land that faces um the ocean and that creates like a sweeter almost like fruitier front sweeter in the back versus our oil goes towards the jordan valley which is a very essentially a desert right so it creates a more like maybe flat up front but very spicy oil in the back so the product itself is very distinctive.

17:04Bilal:So I think consumers do enjoy it. And there's the added component of like, it's cute. Like, it looks nice. So I feel like it's been pretty positive reception. That's incredible. Well, I love that this is such a family business. And what you said of just hanging out with your family and having connections to your family and multi-generation connections, I feel like that is just a really beautiful foundation to build a business from. Thank you. You're welcome. What piece of advice would you share with a founder who's in the really early trenches of building a brand, building a business? Maybe they're considering going into business with their family.

17:47I would love to hear your thoughts there.

17:51Bilal:Yeah. To be honest, it's probably controversial, but I feel like if you're in this to make money, this is the worst industry. Basically, the only people doing well in it are people who repackage commodities with cute packaging and if you got that okay go for it like that's a lane i don't think that's the most interesting lane um i think if you're trying to make money there's like going to like software into like something that scales and is not relying on a physical product um that said if you're there just to kind of experience the family challenge grants or your family has like a um you know like i know some people my friends was like moms make stuff at the house or like their dads like have this certain like honey thing or something like that like i think it's a very easy way if you're my age to like just kind of connect with your parents hobbies um but that's kind of my takeaway on it what's your take on that do you agree or disagree like i think this is like a fun one to ask people in the cpg world like i feel that you should start off with genuine intentions if you're just building a brand to be acquired one day i think it's going to be a really hard road because it's not an easy business it does take a lot of rolling up your sleeves putting in your own cash, putting yourself out there, consistently pitching, consistently creating content.

19:07It really takes a lot and there's a lot of high highs and low lows just being an entrepreneur in general. So I always suggest to people making sure that they have a genuine connection and passion to what they're building and knowing why. and it's not a cash grab and having a deeper truer reason of why they're building takes them through that journey and also making sure that whatever their expectations is for the business they're also level setting that with how they're investing in the business right because it could be really easy to see over quote-unquote overnight success on social but not knowing what ad spend went into that or the team behind that, et cetera.

19:54So just making sure that they're level setting their expectations so they don't feel like they're not getting it right, quote unquote, day one and having that expectation on themselves, just having good intentions going in and building smart so that it can be scalable.

20:14Bilal:Yeah, that makes sense. That's what I tell my clients. like I always I always ask people what's their intentions what's their vision and I I personally align and work with people that have a genuine passion they had a problem they want to create a solution they have a personal connection to it that's who I like working with I feel like it's so much more fun than just some soulless nameless brand that got thought up in a vacuum of investors and I'm like, this would be cool. You know, like, okay. But that, for me as a brand strategist, like, it doesn't really do much for me. I love seeing people with genuine cool stories.

20:56That's why I have this podcast too. Hearing cool stories and then seeing their brands grow. Like, to me, that's the best thing. Yeah, that makes sense. Hootie were like, not to flip this,

21:08Bilal:but like, Hootie is like, they're the gold star. They've done it kind of all. Like, this is who, you always talk to a lot of like small brands you'll talk to like mid-level and like higher brands like who choose like they are they're killing it who comes to mind from the podcast in particular good pop is an incredible story so the founder has been building good pop and has bootstrapped it this whole time over 16 years and when he first launched if you haven't listened to the episode yet definitely go back and listen to it his first launch he worked up to do a music venue in Austin and it got tons of rain and it was known for like mudslides that this music festival he thought it was going to be like home run he made like hundreds of icicle pops and he sold four because the whole venue got washed out by like a mudslide and he kept pivoting and figuring it out.

22:08And he's in it 16 years. And his story really blew me away.

22:13Bilal:Oh, that's super sick. I'll go back and listen to it. Yeah. And you see good pop everywhere. And he's done a great job. So I personally love that story. And I was so happy that he said yes to coming on the podcast. But yeah, I think those are the stories personally that I remember and resonate with me. And I, again as a brand strategist for pre-launch cpg brands i love having this podcast of showing clients examples because it can feel really shiny and glossy online of just like this is literally how he started and look where he is now and i i just love i love stories like that okay well back to you um great questions though i appreciate it uh where can people shop your olive oil?

23:05Yeah.

23:05Bilal:So we're actually getting new harvest oil, like December 5th, it lands on the container. So if you want the freshest oil, you could probably get like literally like, I mean it like harvested in October, like in front of you the next day. Probably like whoatasty.com. That's probably the best way to find us. Amazing. And I'll also link it in my shop, my store. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing in these really early days of a family business, rolling up your sleeves, figuring it out. I love capturing these conversations of really early on brands and I'm excited to see where it all grows for you.

23:44Awesome.

23:45Bilal:Thank you so much. You're so welcome. Thank you everyone for listening and I'll see you on the next episode. This podcast is brought to you by Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds is the go-to platform built for creator-powered retail activations. They are connecting everyday creators with CPG brands to generate shelf-level awareness, drive in-store momentum, and generate authentic content in markets that matter the most. Go to hummingbirds.com for all the details and let them know I sent you. This episode was brought to you by Glimpse. As we know, building a brand is not as sexy and glamorous as it looks on social media at times.

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25:26And that's where Glimpse comes in. Glimpse is an AI-powered deduction management tool that disputes and recovers invalid deductions, winning brands thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours back to founders so that they can focus on what really matters most, scaling their businesses. with a team of in-house deduction experts who come from some of the most successful and profitable CPG companies and custom-built AI with 100 % accuracy and precision. You'll recover money that you never should have had leaked in the first place. If you're a brand selling in retail, go to tryglimpse.com backslash trial for 30 days free and let them know I sent you.

26:20Thank you again for listening to this episode of the Emerging Brands podcast. It really means so much to me that you listen to this show, share it with your friends and support it. If you are a CPG food and beverage founder and you're ready to launch a brand, people want to shop, head to withkellybennett.com for the details. And as always, thank you so much for listening, shopping the brands featured on the show and following brands I'm working with. It means so much. See you on the next episode.