About The Hamsa Brand

Note from the Founders: Growing up, our homes were filled with vibrant and flavorful meals — always the highlight of our upbringing. Our rich heritage is deeply ingrained in everything we do. It informs our creative approach to everything from developing recipes and cooking techniques, down to the look and feel of our products. A husband and wife duo, our mission is to create an exotic pantry embodying 500 years of culture sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East. The Hamsa Brand came to life by sheer fate. In 2012, our culinary co-founder Michael Vakneen was on a work trip to NYC from Las Vegas and hailed a cab that would forever change his life. On his ride to John F. Kennedy airport, he got to talking with the driver who insisted on introducing him to his “perfect match.” Three weeks later, Michael returned to NYC to meet Joanna Bensimon (co-founder and the girl with the squeezable harissa sauce idea). Upon their first embrace, they knew that they would be in each other’s lives forever. Everything was maktub — as it’s said — written for them. The alchemy of their fateful connection — decades of ancestral history pulverized with a modern love story — is now being shared with the world with the explosive revival of their favorite childhood North African hot condiment - Harissa. Read their story