Shokoo's Story

From My Homeland to Yours

Coming from a family of farmers in one of the most abundant regions of Northern Iran, I grew up nurturing and tending the land. When I moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1989 it was my desire to bring my passion for gardening to my new home. I planted succulents, flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs in my backyard to keep up with the Persian ritual of eating fresh basil, mint, tarragon, and watercress with every meal.

One day, in the midst of summer, I was reminiscing about the days when my mother would leave a big basket of freshly washed romaine lettuce leaves on the table with a bottle of mint syrup for the family to enjoy and quench their thirst. As I was starting my own family, I decided to honor her tradition and make the syrup for my two sons.

To my delight, my children loved it! I introduced it to them as an alternative to soda by pouring the Persian mint syrup, sekanjabin (سکنجبین), in a glass of water and adding ice cubes. This delicious mint syrup is originally made with honey and is one of the oldest sweet and sour syrups in Iran, dating back to ancient times. I was so inspired by my kids’ enthusiasm that I was determined to share the syrup with everyone I knew.

Farmers Market & Beyond

In 2017, I began to share my mint syrup, passing out samples and selling it at farmers markets in Sacramento and in the San Francisco Bay area. Back then, I was going by "Blossom's," the English translation of my Persian first name, Shokoofeh. As more and more customers returned to the market to order my syrup by the dozen, I thought I'd open up shop online and offer it to brick and mortar markets and grocery stores as well. 

From fresh squeezed lemonade to the margarita and mojito... anyway you shake it, we believe it's better with Shokoo's!