A Legacy of Flavor: How Mina Is Bringing the Heart of Morocco to Tables Around the World

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mina

In a food landscape increasingly dominated by fast fads and fleeting trends, Mina is something altogether rarer: a culinary brand rooted in family, heritage, and soul. Named for the matriarch of its founding family, Mina exists to share the beauty and abundance of Moroccan food and culture with the world, and it’s doing so one jar of harissa, one simmering sauce, and one golden stream of olive oil at a time.

The story of Mina begins not with a business plan, but with a woman in a kitchen in 1950s Casablanca. The original Mina, fiery, gifted, and endlessly generous, crafted her first batch of harissa in that small North African kitchen, igniting a passion that would later ripple across continents. After perfecting her culinary skills in Paris, she eventually brought her talents to New York, where she opened a catering business. It wasn’t long before word spread: Mina’s food wasn’t just good, it was transcendent. Authentic, bold, and infused with love, her Moroccan dishes captivated a devoted clientele that came to feel like family.

Decades later, that spirit lives on through her children, who founded Mina in 2010 as a tribute to their mother’s legacy. At the helm is Fouad Kallamni, Mina’s son and the brand’s CEO, who envisioned more than a grocery product; he envisioned a cultural bridge. “Mina isn’t just about food,” says Fouad. “It’s about inviting people into the warmth, color, and richness of Moroccan life.”

From that single, unforgettable harissa recipe, the Mina brand has grown into a robust portfolio of Moroccan staples: silky tagine and shakshuka simmering sauces, organic olive oils pressed from the family’s own groves, spiced table olives, fragrant teas blended with Moroccan herbs and blossoms, and ready-to-heat couscous and rice meals that bring global flavor to everyday tables.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mina

Yet despite this growth, Mina’s ethos has remained deeply personal. Every product is made to the same exacting standards as Mina’s own cooking. Sourcing is at the core of the brand’s culinary philosophy, with ingredients carefully selected from trusted growers, including their own family olive farm in Morocco and many others whom the Kallamni family knows personally. From seed-specific Moroccan peppers grown in partnership with small farms, to polyphenol-rich olives harvested young and pressed within hours, every decision is rooted in tradition, quality, and care.

The brand’s commitment goes beyond ingredients. Through its collaborative harvesting programs, Mina helps support employment for underprivileged families in Morocco. It’s a model that blends ethical sourcing with economic uplift, all while preserving the artisanal techniques that define Moroccan cuisine.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mina

Though the brand has established a firm footprint in retail stores and online platforms across the U.S. including Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Wegmans, and many more, Fouad’s approach has been intentionally measured. “We’ve grown slowly and sustainably,” he explains. “The goal is to build something lasting, something real.”

Mina’s mission is elegantly simple: to bring the beauty and abundance of Moroccan food and culture to family tables everywhere. But in doing so, the brand is also offering something more essential: a way to travel without leaving your kitchen. For those who crave the the richness of tradition and the thrill of culinary adventure, Mina is an open invitation to gather, taste, and savor.

Disclaimer: Written in partnership with APG.