From Storytelling to the Making of Quality Products
Safaa Abbasi is a woman of many talents. A stage actress and folk storyteller from the village of Howfa Al-Wassatiyya in Irbid - Jordan, Safaa has always believed that if she starts a business it should be about more than just trading for profit; it should help preserve culture and heritage.
This belief is the heartbeat of her brand (Simsim wa Hikaya lil-A'shab) – the Arabic name for ‘Sesame and a Story for Herbs’. For years, Safaa and her family produced a signature Za’atar (thyme) blend that became the talk of town. "Everyone who tastes it says there is nothing like it. They do not just want to try it; they want to own it," Safaa shares.
While the quality of her product was undeniably great, the business side was a challenge. Like many artisanal producers, Safaa was operating on a very narrow scale. She did not have a system for bookkeeping, and she was not accounting for capital, labor, or marketing expenses.
The transformation began when Safaa joined a training program by the Informal Livelihoods Advancement Activity (Iqlaa), funded through the U.S. Embassy Amman. The training focused on developing micro-aggregation models amongst small businesses, where several players – in many cases community members or home-based businesses – contribute to the making of a final aggregated product or service.
Before the training, Safaa wasn't familiar with the formal concept of ‘aggregation’, even though she had been applying it in an amateur form. She learned that by acting as a hub - sourcing high-quality raw materials from other women in her community - she could scale up her production while providing income opportunities for those women.
The micro aggregator program offered 90 hours of intensive training in business management, marketing, and technology for business aggregators. Participants are equipped with essential skills, including business management, financial literacy, digital marketing, and product photography. Next, they receive coaching for the final stage of the program, where they pitch for financial grants to support their journey towards growth and resilience.
Seeing my products reach wider markets in Irbid and Amman makes me proud of myself, my product, and the people I work with.
Safaa, Entrepreneur
Safaa successfully received a grant from Iqlaa to expand her business line from Zaatar production to the making of dried herbs as well.
To ensure the brand's integrity and credibility in the market, Safaa established clear standards for the women she sources input products from, requiring top-quality materials and applying high hygiene measures.
Today, Safaa is no longer just a storyteller; she is a business owner who has built a bridge between her village and the broader market by selling her products beyond her neighborhood, reaching supermarkets in Irbid and Amman, where four shops now sell her products.
Safaa is proof that when you combine passion with a special product, the proper business acumen, and community engagement, you create more than a brand - you build a legacy for an entire community!
"It is important to me that all my hard work yields excellent fruits, and that one day soon - God willing - I will be able to sell my products all over Jordan," says Safaa.
Following the success of many businesses such as Safaa’s, Iqlaa launched a second micro-aggregator program in 2025, aiming to empower 100 home-based micro and small business owners to become aggregators of products and services and to expand their market reach.
To support the growth and market access for micro and small businesses, Iqlaa has been actively promoting the business aggregation concept and its implementation across various sectors in Jordan. This strategy aims to connect businesses with larger markets, streamline supply chains, and enhance overall efficiency. So far, more than 900 businesses have benefited from Iqlaa's aggregation efforts.