THE FIRST ARABIC DELICATESS STORE IN GERMANY Since 1982
Many years ago, the patriarch of the Harb family opened a shop, filled with Levantine delicacies. This caravan of culinary treasures can be foundat Potsdamer Straße 93
Those earliest days were quite different, as the city was still divided. Raising 3 children was accompanied by the concern that they would lack their cultural heritage. Meals
were served with stories of family, bringing their homeland here to Berlin. It was difficult to find Lebanese spices and the right ingredients to prepare those dishes, so on
every visit to Lebanon meant carrying back a big suitcase full of local
goods. Oliver, the current proprietor of Harb, remembers fondly: “My father would return from Lebanon and open his luggage with my sister and I always looking for the bags filled with traditional sweets and cookies. We would spread them all over the living room, whilst my father would lough at us joyfully, happy to see us enjoying the food he also ate
as a child”. Gradually, more and more people from the neighbourhood as well as the owners of the first Middle Eastern restaurants would ask him to bring them Lebanese groceries. This was the moment he understood: it was time to open a shop of his own in the city. Once established, it soon became well known across Berlin, selling ingredients to many restaurants and other new
migrants. Harb had a reputation for offering the best tahini, chickpeas for the right hummus, nuts prepared according to family recipe, all the spices one could imagine, and everything in high quality. In 2002, Oliver and his siblings joined the family business, after helpin
there during school holidays all their lives. Over a period of more then 15 years, their father taught them all the family secrets and how to run the business, insisting that they acquire relevant academic degrees before handing over the reins. As the new manager, Oliver started importing Lebanese wine, liquors and other beverages. Today, Harb is considered a pioneer of Mediterranean cuisine in Europe.
