That was the mission Mohamed Sammy Khouraki set out to accomplish in the summer of 1983, when he and his wife Noha opened up one of the first specialty markets catering to the Middle-Eastern community. Located on Cerritos and Magnolia in Anaheim, the store was initially called Cerritos Produce. A few months later, the store was renamed Altayebat, which means “the tasty and delicious” in Arabic. Pretty soon this small store began drawing in a lot of customers who came for the superior quality and legendary prices. But Middle-Easterners were not the only ones traveling far distances to shop at Altayebat. People from all cultures began coming to the store, requesting that we carry products from their nationalities as well. It soon became evident that the small store on Cerritos Avenue was not large enough to meet the needs of the community.

In November of 1987, Khouraki bought an egg ranch on the corner of Brookhurst and Ball in Anaheim, located next to an Italian restaurant and a flower shop. After a few months of remodeling, the new Altayebat Market was opened in April of 1988, at almost double the size of the previous store.

Over three decades later, Altayebat has expanded three times, remodeled four times, and is still growing. What was once the only business in the area of its kind is now surrounded by more Middle-Eastern businesses than one can count. Doctors, dentists, bookstores, restaurants, coffee shops, community centers, and yes, even other grocery stores have all sprung up in this area within the last several years — so much so that the area of Anaheim has been dubbed “Little Arabia.”

Times may have changed, but one thing remains the same: Altayebat Market has been and will continue to be committed to providing the community with the best products at the best prices. Arabs, Americans, Armenians, Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Bulgarians, Iranians, Afghanis, Malaysians, Mexicans, French, Romanians, and many others of different nationalities have made Altayebat Market what it is today. They all know Altayebat is the place to go for everyday items, as well as those that are hard to find. Although our business has gotten larger over the years, we are still a Mom & Pop store at heart and will try to please every customer and every need. As long as we continue this mission, we have done our job.