How Tina Chamoun Built Terranean Herbs: Retail Lessons from a Lebanese Food Brand

Building a successful food brand often begins with sharing something deeply personal. For Tina Chamoun, that meant introducing authentic Lebanese flavors to grocery shoppers while creating a brand rooted in culture, quality, and transparency.

On this episode of Shelf Talks, I sat down with Tina, founder of Terranean Herbs, to discuss how she transformed a passion for Lebanese cuisine into a growing specialty food brand now found in grocery stores across the country. Her journey offers valuable lessons on product validation, pricing, retail expansion, and building a mission-driven business.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube using the links at the end of this article.

Why Mediterranean Foods Continue to Grow in Retail

Consumers are increasingly looking for authentic global flavors, clean ingredients, and pantry staples that bring restaurant-quality meals home. Mediterranean foods, including za'atar, olive oil, tahini, and other traditional ingredients, have experienced growing popularity as shoppers seek products that combine flavor, heritage, and wellness.

Retailers continue expanding their international and specialty food assortments to meet this demand, creating new opportunities for founders introducing authentic products with strong stories behind them.

Terranean Herbs entered the category by offering something many consumers couldn't easily find: authentic Lebanese za'atar made with traditional ingredients.

From Law School to Food Entrepreneur

Before launching Terranean Herbs, Tina practiced law while also building Your Lebanon, a platform dedicated to sharing Lebanese recipes, food traditions, and culture.

As her online audience grew, one ingredient consistently generated the most interest.

Za'atar.

When Tina searched grocery stores for authentic versions, she discovered many products contained fillers or ingredients that didn't reflect traditional Lebanese recipes.

Instead of accepting the gap, she decided to build the product herself.

Lesson 1: Great Brands Begin with an Unmet Consumer Need

Many successful products aren't created from entirely new ideas.

They're created by improving products consumers already want but can't easily find.

Building Demand Before Retail

Terranean Herbs officially launched in late 2019.

Soon after, the pandemic dramatically changed the retail landscape.

Rather than waiting for stores to reopen, Tina focused on growing direct-to-consumer sales while building brand awareness online.

Early success came from:

• Direct-to-consumer sales.

• Repeat purchases.

• Community engagement.

• Existing relationships built through Your Lebanon.

Those early customers helped validate demand before significant retail expansion.

Lesson 2: Direct-to-Consumer Builds Retail Confidence

Online sales provide valuable proof that consumers want your products.

That data becomes powerful when approaching retail buyers.

Winning Retail One Store at a Time

Unlike many brands, Terranean's first retail opportunities didn't begin with polished presentations.

They began with conversations.

Tina introduced herself to local retailers, shared her products, explained the story behind the brand, and demonstrated growing customer demand.

Her first major grocery partnership came with Heinen's.

That success created the momentum needed for future retail conversations.

Lesson 3: Relationships Open Retail Doors

Retail buyers appreciate founders who know their products, understand their customers, and consistently follow through.

Pricing for Long-Term Growth

One of the smartest decisions Tina made involved pricing.

Instead of maximizing margins immediately, Terranean entered retail with an everyday low price strategy that encouraged first-time purchases.

As distribution expanded and consumer loyalty increased, pricing evolved to support promotions, distributors, and sustainable growth.

Lesson 4: Pricing Influences Trial

Sometimes attracting new customers creates greater long-term value than maximizing short-term profits.

Why Product Sampling Still Works

Introducing unfamiliar products often requires education.

Terranean invested heavily in:

• Weekly in-store demonstrations.

• Local marketing campaigns.

• Promotional pricing.

• Ongoing communication with buyers.

Sampling allowed consumers to experience authentic Lebanese flavors while giving retailers confidence that shoppers would return.

For specialty food brands, education remains one of the strongest marketing tools available.

Following Up Creates Opportunities

One of Tina's biggest retail wins happened after a second follow-up email.

The buyer hadn't responded initially.

Instead of assuming the answer was no, Tina followed up.

That persistence opened the door to another retail opportunity.

Lesson 5: Persistence Matters

Retail buyers manage hundreds of brands.

Sometimes following up is exactly what moves your product to the top of their inbox.

Preparing for Larger Retail Opportunities

As Terranean expanded beyond one hundred stores, operations became increasingly important.

The company transitioned from self-distribution to working with distributors, strengthened inventory planning, and diversified sourcing following pandemic-related disruptions.

Those improvements positioned the business for larger opportunities, including Walmart Open Call.

Retail growth requires operational growth.

Purpose Builds Stronger Brands

Terranean Herbs has always been about more than selling seasonings.

The company supports women through an all-female production team, offers flexible employment opportunities, reduces waste through sustainable practices, and sources ingredients directly from Lebanon whenever possible.

That purpose strengthens both consumer loyalty and retailer confidence.

Growing Without Cannibalizing Sales

As Terranean expanded beyond its original za'atar products, every new SKU served a strategic purpose.

Rather than introducing products simply to increase assortment, each launch attracted new customers while strengthening the overall brand story.

Sometimes unexpected products become the biggest success.

For Terranean, sea salt pita chips became one of the company's strongest performers.

Lesson 6: Expand with Intention

Every new product should strengthen your shelf presence and support your long-term retail strategy.

Key Takeaways for Product-Based Founders

Tina Chamoun's journey demonstrates that successful retail brands grow through consistency, customer understanding, and thoughtful execution.

Her story reminds founders to:

• Solve meaningful consumer problems.

• Validate demand before expanding.

• Build strong retailer relationships.

• Price strategically.

• Invest in product sampling.

• Follow up consistently.

• Scale operations alongside distribution.

• Stay true to your mission.

Retail success doesn't happen overnight.

It happens by consistently delivering value to consumers, retailers, and your community.

Want the Full Conversation?

Tina Chamoun shares even more insights on building Terranean Herbs, introducing authentic Lebanese flavors to grocery retailers, pricing products for retail success, and growing a mission-driven food brand.

Listen to the full Shelf Talks episode:

Spotify: Listen Here

Apple Podcasts: Listen Here

YouTube: Watch Here

Learn more about Terranean Herbs:

https://terraneanherbs.com/