Why Toledo?

Before Toledo was a brand, it was just a name I was searching for.

I had been experimenting with baking at home, making different sweets for my family and even trying to sell some of them.

One of them was an Orange Marmalade Crostata topped with shredded almonds. It was my dad's favourite, and he told me it was something I should sell.

It might have sounded like a small comment, but it meant much more to me. My dad had always believed in me and encouraged me to go after the things I wanted, even when I wasn't completely sure of myself.

A few days later, we lost him unexpectedly.

My dad's name was Hosam, an Arabic name meaning a sharp sword. Two days after losing him, I found myself searching for names connected to swords and swordmaking.

That's when I came across Toledo.

The name immediately stood out to me. But there was another connection that made it feel even more fitting.

Toledo, Spain had been one of my dad's favourite cities to visit. He was fascinated by Andalusian civilisation and its architecture.

So the name stayed.

A year later, when I began making the granola bars that would eventually become the first Toledo product, I questioned it again. I wondered whether the name made sense for what I was creating.

Eventually, I realised it didn't need to describe what I made.

It represented why I wanted to make something worth building.

Today, Toledo is only just beginning, but the name will always carry a piece of where it began.

For my dad.