E204 Built with Heart: The Story Behind Ramona’s Houmous and the Love That Powers It

In this episode of Oh For Food’s Sake, we welcome the “Houmous Queen” herself, Ramona Hazan, founder of Mediterranean Dip Co and the face behind the now much-loved brand, Ramona’s. Amy and Lucy dive into the true story behind Ramona’s 20-year “overnight” success—spoiler alert: it’s packed with relentless perseverance, genuine love for food, and a fair amount of schlepping chickpeas around London in a red Peugeot.

Ramona shares the reality of building a food business from scratch, surviving countless rejections, and finally breaking into a retail landscape dominated by own-label giants. We cover her journey from computer engineering in South Africa to becoming a staple name in the dip’s aisle, the challenges and grit behind scaling up, and why staying close to your brand’s heart matters more than ever.

We don’t shy away from the real talk: Ramona gets candid about failures (seaweed houmous, anyone?), mental resilience, the importance of profit in business (not just awards or hype!), and learning to take up space as a woman in leadership.

This episode is jam-packed with brutal honesty, practical advice for food industry pros, and plenty of laughs. Whether you’re knee-deep in new product development or just contemplating your first pitch to a supermarket, there’s a dose of inspiration and reality check here for everyone.

Show notes:

Ever wondered what goes into growing a food brand from a tiny home kitchen to supermarket shelves across the nation?
Ramona Hazan tells all—chickpeas in the living room, rolling suitcases packed with houmous through Soho, and years of “no’s” from major retailers.

We discuss her unique approach to new product development (hint: feed your friends, watch what disappears first), her experience transitioning from the stability of wholesale to the daunting world of retail, and why perseverance trumps any “overnight success” narrative.
Amy and Lucy reminisce about their days developing dips and marvel at just how tough it is for brands to break into own-label-heavy categories.
Ramona discusses her rebrand from Me Too Foods to Ramona’s, the accidental timing with the #metoo movement, and the genius move of putting herself—and her story—front and center on every pot.

This episode also shares some hard truths about starting a food business: the need for financial grit, a healthy disrespect for instant gratification, and constant, sometimes crazy, belief in what you’re doing. We also discuss launching new products (think tzatziki, kalamata olive houmous, and even tikka masala options) and why product quality and loyalty matter most.
We get straight into gender, self-belief, and leading with authenticity—why women need to stop waiting for permission and instead “just get the job done.” Ramona’s take on handling setbacks, balancing family and work, and empowering the next generation is refreshing and motivating.
Expect honest advice, warmth, and plenty of those moments that make you feel, “Oh, for food’s sake—I’m not alone in this.”

Timestamps

0:01:55 Ramona’s Backstory: From Engineer to Food Entrepreneur
00:03:31 Early Days: Making houmous at Home, First Sales
00:04:39 Growth Steps: Moving to Small Units, Expanding Production
00:07:10 Brand Evolution: Me Too Foods to Ramona’s Rebrand
00:08:37 Breaking into Retail
00:11:14 The Challenges of Building a Brand & Customer Loyalty
00:13:19 Personal Resilience: How to Keep Going Despite Setbacks
00:16:35 Factory Culture: Quality, Teamwork, and “Love” in Production
00:20:17 New Product Launches: Ramona’s Latest Dips
00:23:04 The Lows: Product Flops and Facing Failure
00:25:28 Profitability and Practical Advice for Food Startups
00:27:24 Women in Food: Mindset, Leadership, and Self-Belief
00:32:13 Balancing Work, Parenting, and Business Realities
00:37:18 Where to buy Ramona’s products and how customers can connect directly.
00:38:37 Wrap Up and Outro

Links and Resources:

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For industry consulting from Lucy, connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Find her on Instagram or LinkedIn for further support with industry coaching and facilitation from Amy.
Oh For Food's Sake is sponsored by Microsearch Laboratories https://micro-search.co.uk/ and Point 74 https://www.point74.co.uk/

See you next time!

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