We all want to be super powered, super heroes, right?! Right?! Of course we do. That is why when we see a new superfood in the headlines we are straight to the grocery store filling up our trollies with tonnes of the stuff. I once turned slightly orange because I ate too many carrots (great source of Vit A). It wasn't a good look, so I took up eating balefuls of greens instead. Thankfully I've not turned green!
Today, I have a recent discovery I want to share with you. Baobab. Not only is the level of antioxidants of this fruit off the charts, but it has the power to change the lives of millions in Africa. Whilst keeping you in top form too. I have the amazing story for you.
While at the Allergy & Free From Show recently, I spotted a cheerful and brightly coloured stand with a bizarre looking pod on display. I had heard of Baobab before from Inspiral Baobab & Onion Kale Chips but never had I seen what it actually looked like in its natural state. I'd heard of the tree, sure. It is one of the reasons for me chalking up Madagascar on my bucket list (that and the dancing lemurs)! Upon closer inspection of the pod, I was so surprised, the interior of the pod was nothing like I'd ever seen before. It was jam packed with off-white, pebble like, powdery clusters, of which I discovered, were edible fruits of the baobab tree.
I was so curious, I asked if I could interview the one of the co-founders of the company selling this powder in the gorgeously vibrant tubs on display. And he said yes! Read on and I will share with you what he told me, and a recipe, or two.
Today, I have a recent discovery I want to share with you. Baobab. Not only is the level of antioxidants of this fruit off the charts, but it has the power to change the lives of millions in Africa. Whilst keeping you in top form too. I have the amazing story for you.
While at the Allergy & Free From Show recently, I spotted a cheerful and brightly coloured stand with a bizarre looking pod on display. I had heard of Baobab before from Inspiral Baobab & Onion Kale Chips but never had I seen what it actually looked like in its natural state. I'd heard of the tree, sure. It is one of the reasons for me chalking up Madagascar on my bucket list (that and the dancing lemurs)! Upon closer inspection of the pod, I was so surprised, the interior of the pod was nothing like I'd ever seen before. It was jam packed with off-white, pebble like, powdery clusters, of which I discovered, were edible fruits of the baobab tree.
I was so curious, I asked if I could interview the one of the co-founders of the company selling this powder in the gorgeously vibrant tubs on display. And he said yes! Read on and I will share with you what he told me, and a recipe, or two.
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| Andrew Hunt Nick Salter Founders of Aduna |
The story began when Andrew Hunt, then aged 25, had been diagnosed as suffering from clinical depression. Life in advertising had brought him to the brink of despair. He'd lost all his spark after years of selling products to the market that he just didn't believe in. He was spent. He felt totally void of life. It was a random phone call from a family friend, Angus Davison, which was to come to his rescue. Angus happened to need someone to help on a project in Gambia, so he called Andrew on the off chance he may be interested. He wasn’t. Feeling like he had nothing to lose, however, Andrew jumped on a plane bound for West Africa.
The African sunlight, the colour, the people, all crept under his skin and for the first time in months Andrew felt the life being sucked back into him. He told me, he was happy. Why? I asked him. His answer was simple. He was expressing himself fully, creatively. Adding value.
The initial six week project ended, but Andrew stayed. For 4 years. It was during this time, whilst he built up an organisation called Gambia Is Good to help farmers supply fresh fruits and vegetables to the tourist trade, that Andrew became increasingly aware of the abundance of natural products in the region. 25% of all of the world’s botanical species originate from Africa, and yet less than 1% of what we see on the shelf. It was his time working with Gambia is Good that Andrew began to learn about the iconic baobab tree and its myriad of uses.
Aduna Is Born
After his return from Africa, Andrew was contacted by Nick Salter, a fellow Africa enthusiast and baobab convert. He too had been excited by the strange fruit. They both saw the potential to create a successful business which, through its core function of creating demand for baobab, could help sustain millions of rural households in Sub Saharan Africa. Together they formed Aduna (means ‘Life’ or ‘World’ in Wolof). Andrew was keen to promote brand. Branding a product increases its saleability, makes the producer feel proud. But it had to be done well. No more cliche! he cried. No more 3rd world Bob Marley maps and souvenir bongo drums, as means of Africans scratching out a meagre living. The branding he saw for their indigenous fruits (and most products) were falling short of the mark. He decided he wanted to change that, so families could make a good living and build a sustainable business. This took a whole year. They decided they wanted to create a brand that spoke of Africa. It's culture, warmth and vibrancy. They created a design is based on traditional African wax fabric. It is altering the old focus. They created a premium product and in November 2012 Aduna was launched. Before long their luxury products were being sold in Harrods & Liberty of London .
Making Lives Richer in Africa
Aduna Feel Good World. Promoting Africa.
Instead of the world view being 'projects in' Africa, Andrew aims to shift the focus to 'products from' Africa, with baobab alone estimated by National Geographic to be worth a potential $1bn to rural Africa.
With no need for land, water, fertiliser,refrigeration – or even farming - the baobab crop is hugely sustainable (though I worry about anything getting so popular over time that it alters the status quo from natural to farmed). The National Resource Institute estimated that 2-3 million households in Southern Africa alone can supply the fruit, making the likely figure for the whole of Africa closer to 8-10m. The yeald of each tree averages at 200-300 kg. As you can see, promoting and selling the baobab will substantially increase the income of African families at little cost to themselves. What’s more, when communities earn money from baobab, they have an increased incentive to protect the trees.
The African sunlight, the colour, the people, all crept under his skin and for the first time in months Andrew felt the life being sucked back into him. He told me, he was happy. Why? I asked him. His answer was simple. He was expressing himself fully, creatively. Adding value.
The initial six week project ended, but Andrew stayed. For 4 years. It was during this time, whilst he built up an organisation called Gambia Is Good to help farmers supply fresh fruits and vegetables to the tourist trade, that Andrew became increasingly aware of the abundance of natural products in the region. 25% of all of the world’s botanical species originate from Africa, and yet less than 1% of what we see on the shelf. It was his time working with Gambia is Good that Andrew began to learn about the iconic baobab tree and its myriad of uses.
Aduna Is Born
After his return from Africa, Andrew was contacted by Nick Salter, a fellow Africa enthusiast and baobab convert. He too had been excited by the strange fruit. They both saw the potential to create a successful business which, through its core function of creating demand for baobab, could help sustain millions of rural households in Sub Saharan Africa. Together they formed Aduna (means ‘Life’ or ‘World’ in Wolof). Andrew was keen to promote brand. Branding a product increases its saleability, makes the producer feel proud. But it had to be done well. No more cliche! he cried. No more 3rd world Bob Marley maps and souvenir bongo drums, as means of Africans scratching out a meagre living. The branding he saw for their indigenous fruits (and most products) were falling short of the mark. He decided he wanted to change that, so families could make a good living and build a sustainable business. This took a whole year. They decided they wanted to create a brand that spoke of Africa. It's culture, warmth and vibrancy. They created a design is based on traditional African wax fabric. It is altering the old focus. They created a premium product and in November 2012 Aduna was launched. Before long their luxury products were being sold in Harrods & Liberty of London .
Making Lives Richer in Africa
Aduna Feel Good World. Promoting Africa.
Instead of the world view being 'projects in' Africa, Andrew aims to shift the focus to 'products from' Africa, with baobab alone estimated by National Geographic to be worth a potential $1bn to rural Africa.
With no need for land, water, fertiliser,refrigeration – or even farming - the baobab crop is hugely sustainable (though I worry about anything getting so popular over time that it alters the status quo from natural to farmed). The National Resource Institute estimated that 2-3 million households in Southern Africa alone can supply the fruit, making the likely figure for the whole of Africa closer to 8-10m. The yeald of each tree averages at 200-300 kg. As you can see, promoting and selling the baobab will substantially increase the income of African families at little cost to themselves. What’s more, when communities earn money from baobab, they have an increased incentive to protect the trees.
How Aduna Is Helping To Build Better Sustainable Futures For Africans
Each year Aduna invests 10% of its profits into the Aduna Foundation, which aims to support small-scale producers through capacity building, social Innovation and assistance with regulatory issues. This is something that small scale producers would have little means to do for themselves and is crucial for exporting their goods.
In the longer term, Aduna wants to help develop children specific branding in Africa, to divert consumption from sugar laden powered drinks imported from Malta, to the healthy baobab. Andrew says, the kids want the packaging they see in the West. They are drawn, just like any child to brands directed to their likes.
About The Boabab. The baobab is an incredible tree that has been in existence before the continents split and can have a lifespan of up to 5000 years. It behaves like a giant succulent, absorbing and storing water in their trunks during the rainy season. When the rains cease and the land turns arid, the tree fruits and harvests its own store of water to produce its fruit. It is the only fruit in the world that is known to dry on the branch. Even when the pods are harvested they have a shelf life of 3 years. They need no extra land to plant, they need no man’s intervention in watering, they are wild harvested so the pods are just opened and the powder is simply sifted before packing. The baobab’s velvety green fruits grow from white flowers that are pollinated at night by bats. Inside the hard shell are the seeds which are coated in an off-white powder that is quite tangy to the taste, reminiscent of a mix of citrus and perhaps melon.
Uses
Bouye, traditional Senegalise drink, made with baobab fruit pulp lemon & sugar (I'd use Stevia or Xylitol for low cal drink). Cheesecake, salad dressing. rising agent, a substitute for cream of tartar, pectin, salads, smoothies, jams, ice cream etc.
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| Banana & Baobab Ice cream (recipe below) |
Nutritional Value
The powder is an incredible source of the minerals potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium, an outstanding source of vitamin C, and a great source of B vitamins. It’s a fantastic antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory properties. It is a prebiotic. It has a high pectin content, so you can use it as a thickener in recipes. It is a natural flavour enhancer, so adds depth to any dish, sweet or savoury.
It contains 50% dietary fibre. It has 2 x the calcium than of that in milk! (in your face, dairy industry!) It even trumps the mighty kale!
Baobab Hits The Catwalk
Since their launch in November 2012 the company has grown at an amazing rate. They were hailed the 'Supplement of choice', for top models during London Fashion Week. Those in the beauty industry are quick to catch on. Vitamin C boosts collagen production. 2 x the antioxidants per gram of goji berries. Great for youthful, glowing skin (along with a healthy diet & exercise of course).
Export
Despite difficulties in obtaining permits to export foods from countries within continental Africa, we are beginning to see the export of its treasures. Exotic ingredients are being used in toiletries and the beauty industry. Shea butter - super hydrating. Marula oil, with more omega's than Argan Oil and Moringa with no less than 30 antioxidants. Aduna are planning to bring more natural products to the market soon.The Future For Aduna
Recently awarded Best Selling Superfood in planet organic, john bell croydon & whole foods.
Africa is full of resources but currently has minimal infrastructure. Mostly it is not export ready. Delving into the political history of African revenue, debt and with a third of Africa's population reported to be malnourished, makes me dizzy at its wide ranging issues from wars, to corruption and climate. It is not a problem that is going to go away any time soon. But Aduna and companies like them, are forging new hope. Aduna plan to bring more African natural products to the market but it is a complicated process to get exotic foods to market outside of Africa. According to Novel Foods Act, the export of any product with significant consumption before 1997 has to be passed by the European Commission. So, to help with this issue, Aduna work with Phyto Trade. . Phyto Trade (phyto = plants. just in case you didn't know. I didn't.). Phyto Trade is a trade association of the natural products industry in Southern Africa. Their work has lowered the costs for approval by the EC from an average of €10 million to less than €100,000 and thus opened the EU to access non-Western fruits, vegetables and nutraceuticals while at the same time saving unnecessary animal testing. Also a proportion of Aduna's profits is used to help the tree owners to secure their ownership. They are also helping to fund Afri Kids a children's rights organisation in Northern Ghana.
High levels of calcium (great for vegetarians and vegans).
Considered a good omen.
Pollenated by bats.
Outstanding ability to withstand severe drought and fire.
Taste of baobab!
So far, I've used the baobab powder in 2 recipes!
Perfectly Sweet Banana & Baobab Ice cream
3 very ripe bananas
2 tbs baobab powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Peel & freeze bananas. When frozen, put in a blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until like soft whip. Freeze for 1 hour. Serve
Vanilla & Baobab Macaroons (no bake)
2 Cups of toasted unsweetened, ground (use a coffee grinder) coconut. If you want to keep the recipe raw then do not toast.
1/2 cup of almond flour
1 tbs baobab powder
3 tbs gently melted coconut oil
2 tbs stevia powder
2 tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Makes 9
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Pack portions of the mix into an ice cream scoop. Gently press the release trigger onto a board. Do this for remainder of the mix. Freeze for at least an hour.
Put on a pretty plate and serve. I cannot tell you how good these are! I am hooked, crazy in love with them. AND they are good for you. Perfect.
A friend of mine, upon me telling him of my recent interest in baobab, surprised me with stories of his childhood spent in Mombasa with baobabs in his garden! Have you tried it yet? Let us know if you have in the Post a comment box below.
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