Welcome to Oasis Street Food
Meet the Founders
Hello! We’re the founders, Naftaly Stramer and Ofer Sivan, and we’re glad you’re here. If you have a minute, we’d like to share our story. It involves two men, a small town, a food cart, and a passion for Mediterranean food.
It all started in 2004. We were craving the authentic Mediterranean food we grew up with but couldn’t find locally. Using original recipes from our families, we created falafel and hummus we sold from a food cart in Iowa City, Iowa.
From the first day
We were focused on creating fresh, healthy, and delicious products from the heart. No preservatives. Ingredients anyone could understand.
The popularity of our products took us by surprise. In short order, we opened a small Iowa City restaurant called Oasis Falafel in a space formerly occupied by a Chill and Grill. The location fits our no-frills, tastes good, focus-on-food philosophy.
Within a few years
Customers wanted to know where they could buy our hummus outside of the restaurant. They asked local retailers to carry it. That paved the way for our hummus to move onto shelves in co-ops, mom and pop grocery stores, local shops, and cafes. Then Hy-Vee, Costco, Fareway, Natural Grocers, and others followed. Our hummus began to pop up across Iowa and the Midwest.
What makes the story of our journey so special is that it was driven by our customers. They understand our hummus is ideal for everyone from vegans and vegetarians to protein and superfood lovers to kids and those with special diets.
As demand increased
For 15 years, we created all of our products from our small restaurant kitchen. As demand increased, we knew we had to adjust. In 2019, we expanded our local craft production, staying true to our recipes and high-quality ingredients.
We also introduced a new name and packaging design. The name—Oasis Street Food—is a nod to our food cart origins and to the simplicity of our products. What hasn’t changed is the healthy, high-quality ingredients that go into our products. These remain the same.
As we’ve believed from the beginning: Oasis Street Food is Mediterranean from the heart for everyone.
