It’s an unusually warm November day in Beirut, but inside an air-conditioned warehouse, shoppers find a moment of relief perusing piles of local and exotic produce that line the 20,500-square-foot store. As they make their way through the brightly colored rows of guavas, persimmons and cherimoyas, they pause to nibble on a date or a grape. This vast space has been the home of Fadi Fruits for the last four years. Once considered one of Beirut’s best kept secrets, they are now one of the city’s most sought-after fruit and vegetable vendors.
In 1994, founder Hassan Alhabra began selling produce at a local vegetable souk from his van near the Egyptian Embassy. When the market closed in 1999, Fadi Fruits moved to Wata al-Msaytbeh, a suburban area in Jnah. Working out of an old garage, Hassan’s four sons — Fadi, Houssam, Ayman and Hasan — slowly began taking over the day-to-day operations.