Villa Jerada

Moroccan-born Mehdi Boujrada started Villa Jerada in 2011 with his mother's help. The Seattle company makes small-batch pantry staples, many of them Moroccan and Levantine, from harissa and preserved lemons to Aleppo and Urfa peppers.

About Villa Jerada

Based in
Seattle, Washington
Founded
2011
Known for
Moroccan pantry staples, harissa and chermoula

Mehdi Boujrada, a native of Morocco, set up Villa Jerada in 2011 with help from his mother. He started out going door to door to Seattle restaurants with bottles of Moroccan olive oil. Today chefs around the country buy from the Seattle company.

The line covers pantry staples, many of them Moroccan and Levantine, from harissa and preserved lemons to Aleppo and Urfa peppers, each made in small batches and tied to a food memory from Boujrada's childhood. He began by importing goods from family and friends in Morocco, including olive oil makers and saffron growers.

Villa Jerada questions

What does Levantine mean?

The Levant is a historical name for the lands along the eastern Mediterranean, roughly today's Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Many of Villa Jerada's pantry staples are Moroccan or Levantine, among them harissa, Aleppo pepper and tahini, and each is made in small batches.

What is harissa?

Harissa is a spicy North African paste traditionally made from dried baklouti peppers, a Tunisian chili. The peppers are blended with olive oil, garlic and the spices coriander, caraway and cumin into a thick red paste. Villa Jerada's founder Mehdi Boujrada makes his harissa in small batches in Seattle as part of his line of Moroccan and Levantine pantry staples.

Read our Villa Jerada guideSee all brands