Oasis Falafel began as a conversation. In 2004, when co-founders Ofer Sivan and Naftaly Stramer were hanging out in the Iowa City Ped Mall and craving the Mediterranean food they had grown up eating, they decided to recreate it themselves.
Using family recipes, they started small, selling falafel and hummus from a food cart. The products proved extremely popular and led to the opening of a brick and mortar restaurant which has been a beloved Iowa City institution for over 15 years.
Within a few years, customer demand pushed them to make their now-famous hummus available to local retailers. They began with co-ops, John’s Grocery and other local stores and eventually expanded to larger retailers such as Hy-Vee, Fareway and Natural Grocers. This led to a 2019 expansion of their kitchen facilities to better serve the growing list of stores carrying their hummus. They also opened a second Oasis Falafel restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska in the summer of 2018.
And now, in 2021, popular demand is once again driving the growth of their business. In partnership with the Entrepreneurial Development Center in Cedar Rapids and Meld Marketing in Coralville, Sivan and Stramer will be extending their reach even further. Oasis hummus and pita will now be available at the Coralville Costco as well as expanding into Hy-Vee locations in seven states throughout the Midwest.
This new availability is accompanied by a brand change: Oasis’s retail products will now be sold under the name Oasis Street Food.
“We did this to differentiate ourselves on the shelves and as a nod to our food cart origins and the simplicity of our products,” Stramer said in a press release.
The products will remain the same as they have been for years — vegan, gluten- and preservative-free and crafted in small batches — but will feature newly designed packaging along with the new moniker. In addition the hummus and pita currently available, Sivan and Stramer hope to expand their retail offerings under the umbrella of this new name.
As they embark on this new chapter in their business, the Oasis owners agree that some things remain unchanged: their commitment to simple, delicious and high quality food and the support of their customers.
“We may not be able to build more restaurants right now, but what we can do is find ways to help more customers enjoy our hummus at home any time,” Stramer said.
Update: On April 7, Oasis shared a list of Hy-Vee locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota that began carrying Oasis Street Food products in March. A map with all Oasis Street Food retailers can be found here.
IOWA
Hy-Vee Ames #1 (3800 Lincoln Way)
Hy-Vee Ames #2 (640 Lincoln Way)
Hy-Vee Bettendorf
Hy-Vee Cherokee
Hy-Vee Council Bluffs #1 (West Broadway)
Hy-Vee Fairfield
Hy-Vee Indianola
Hy-Vee Marion
Hy-Vee Muscatine
Hy-Vee Mason City #2 (South Illinois Ave)
Hy-Vee Newton
Hy-Vee Spencer
Hy-Vee Washington
Hy-Vee WaukeeILLINOIS (added in Dec. 2020)
Hy-Vee Bloomington
Hy-Vee Macomb
Hy-Vee Quincy #1 (Harrison St.)KANSAS
Hy-Vee Lenexa
Hy-Vee Mission
Hy-Vee Prairie Village
Hy-Vee ShawneeMINNESOTA
Hy-Vee Lakeville
Hy-Vee Mankato #2 (Adams St.)
Hy-Vee Marshall
Hy-Vee WinonaMISSOURI
Hy-Vee Belton
Hy-Vee Kansas City #1 (N St. Claire Ave)
Hy-Vee Kansas City #3 (NW 64th St)
Hy-Vee Lee’s Summit #1 (Rice Road)
Hy-Vee LibertyNEBRASKA
Hy-Vee Lincoln #1 (O Street)
Hy-Vee Lincoln #3 (N 27th St)
Hy-Vee Lincoln #4 (Village Drive)
Hy-Vee Lincoln #5 (Stacy Lane)
Hy-Vee Omaha #1 (Center St)
Hy-Vee Omaha #3 (West Center Rd)
Hy-Vee Omaha #5 (Cass St)
Hy-Vee Omaha #8 (N 132nd St)
Hy-Vee Omaha #9 (Welch Plaza)
Hy-Vee Omaha #10 (N 156th St)
Hy-Vee Omaha #11 (S 178th St)
Hy-Vee PapillionSOUTH DAKOTA
Hy-Vee Sioux Falls #1 (Sycamore Ave)
Hy-Vee Sioux Falls #5 (E 10th St)*Note: this list is subject to change. It is up to each individual Hy-Vee store whether or not they stock our hummus. This list does not include Hy-Vees we were already in prior to our expansion in March.*
