SHORELINE, Wash. — Lots of people rely on grocery deli sections without ever considering who made the food.
A brand based in Shoreline was launched 33 years ago by an immigrant family with a dream.
"The backstory, no one knows the backstory,” said Walid Joudi, whose parents founded Dreamland Foods in 1989.
Akram and Lamis Joudi were middle-aged when they moved from Kuwait to Seattle with their children. The Palestinian immigrants had to learn a new language and start a completely new life.
"In the beginning, we were very scared when we got here, every day I cried,” Lamis said.
"This is why it's ‘Dreamland’… because we started from scratch," Akram added. "We started with $500."
Lamis woke up at 3 a.m. seven days a week to make hummus and baba ganoush in her kitchen, then Akram distributed the dips to local stores.
In time, they added items like tabbouleh and falafel to the menu, and five grocery stores grew to more than 40. They transitioned to a 300 square foot kitchen and later moved operations to a 6,000 square foot building.
After Walid became owner, things really took off. He moved operations into a 15,000 square foot refrigerated facility where more than 40 employees now work.
"I didn't expect to see that our company could be that big," Akram said.
"I'm very proud," Lamis added.
Dreamland now makes more than 200 items — including more than 40 deli salads, falafel and cauliflower wraps, and branded dips. They take pride in never using preservatives, so the shelf life is shorter but the food is always fresh.
The company also highlights diversity. Flags representing every employee's nationality hang from the rafters.
"It just makes me happy and proud of who I have here as a minority who came here with nothing and struggled with my parents, to have the flags up on the rafters it makes me really happy and proud of the team that I have,” Walid said. "They are the engine who runs the business. Without them, there's no business."
The business now also includes a 3rd generation Joudi — Walid's daughter Gabby does marketing.
“I hope it will go from one generation to another,” Akram said.
Dreams may take all kinds of forms, but the Joudi's story is proof they really do come true.
"It makes me want to work harder and harder and put more food out there for the people to eat and enjoy,” Walid said.
Dreamland Foods can be found in QFC stores, Town and Country Markets, Metropolitan Markets, and PCC.
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