The HUMMUS
MAKERS
PEOPLE OF INTEREST
PHOTOS BY ED DRONDOSKI
This Port St. Lucie couple’s popular dip is now
sold at Whole Foods stores throughout Florida
BY WILLI MILLER
With a growing family and an expanding
46
manufacturing business, Roland and Carla
Wakim, who are expecting their second child
this summer, are living their dream on the
Treasure Coast.
As a young Lebanon-born chef working in Europe, Roland
hoped someday to build his own business, using authentic
Middle Eastern recipes with a personal touch. When he
brought his talent as a chef to work for a Florida-based company,
he was singled out by Aramouni International, a food
distribution company in Boca Raton, to create dishes for its
label, Aramouni’s Healthy Gourmet.
The couple took over several bays in a Port St. Lucie industrial
park for their new company, Nature’s Healthy Gourmet,
with one area kept strictly for kosher food preparation. The
business began small, Carla says. “We started off selling to
about eight Whole Foods stores under our Aramouni’s label
and now we sell to all 16 of the stores throughout Florida. At
first we only sold hummus and dips to their dairy department
and now we’ve expanded our menu to include spreads,
soups and salads to the specialty and food service departments
and the salad bar.”
>>
Entrepreneurs Roland and Carla Wakim have built a successful Port St. Lucie business on their culinary dreams.
Port St. Lucie 50th Anniversary