Couscous Maison, LTD

According to family legend, it was Phillipe, the smallest member of the Chriqui family that had recently immigrated to Israel from North Africa, who missed his favorite dish and asked for couscous. Phillipe's father, David, went out to buy some and after trying store after store, discovered there was none to be had. Then and there, as the legend goes, David Chriqui decided to establish a factory in Israel that would produce ready-made couscous for quick and easy home preparation... and the rest is history. David opened his first factory in Jaffa, employing local Arab women who hand-rolled the semolina into tiny couscous balls and sun-dried them. This was the traditional method used in North Africa for creating stores of food. Later, David developed machines to do what his workers were doing. He thereby succeeded in saving labor and enhancing hygiene, while making sure to maintain the original quality and authenticity of the final product. This has remained the company's driving motivating right up to the present day. As the company grew, its facilities moved to Ra'anana and Hod Hasharon, where it continued to develop and automate its manufacturing process. In 1993 the plant moved to its current location in Netanya, where further upgrades to all manufacturing lines have made the Couscous Maison manufacturing facility the most advanced of its kind, using the latest food technologies. Every stage in the manufacturing process - from sifting and rolling the semolina, through cooking and drying, to final packaging - is completely automated so that from raw material to finished product it is untouched by the human hand.