The Natural & Organics Show (NOPEX) will be taking centre stage once more at…
Join the Aduna Feel Good Tribe and #MakeBaobabFamous
6 August 2019
Africa is the home to twenty five percent of the world’s botanical species, including some of the most nutrient-rich superfoods in the world. Grown under the power of the African sun, in some of the richest landscapes on Earth, Africa’s superfoods are packed with macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Whilst they’ve been used since ancient times as a natural source of wellbeing and despite their remarkable health benefits, Africa’s superfoods have remained little known outside of the continent. Aduna hopes to change this by selecting Africa’s most nutritious, tastiest superfoods, namely the Baobab fruit, Moringa leaf, raw Cacao, Hibiscus & more, all ethically-sourced from small-scale producers, and transforming them into delicious and nutritious food and drinks.
Andrew Hunt, co-founder of Aduna, took up an opportunity to volunteer in Gambia, where he worked with small-scale growers of fruits and vegetables, he stayed there for almost four years. Inspired by the vibrancy of Africa, and by the business potential which would make a positive impact on the lives of rural smallholder farmers, he decided to explore this opportunity further.
Nick Salter, Aduna’s other co-founder, shared Andrew’s passion for Africa, a continent that he had at one time travelled the entire length. On a business trip to Senegal he first tasted a drink made from the baobab fruit and, convinced of its untapped potential, decided that this was where his future lay.
After a few years researching the market for this as-yet unknown fruit, Nick heard about Andrew as someone who was also working on the idea and got in touch. The two started brainstorming about how they could transform this obscure product into a globally-recognised superfruit that could provide a sustainable income to an estimated 10 million rural households. What if there was a brand which could bring the benefits of these unique and remarkable natural products to consumers at the same time as making a direct contribution to the millions of small-scale producers who cultivate them? And so ADUNA was born.
Aduna’s mission as a social business is to create sustainable incomes for rural African households. Aduna is working with over 1,100 women in Upper East Ghana who are benefiting from life-changing sustainable income flows where once there were none. Together, these women have over 6,700 dependents – family members who rely on them for care – so the total number of people Aduna is positively impacting is almost 8,000. Their baobab supply chain is run in partnership with a local NGO called ORGIIS who agrees fair pricing with the communities and works directly with the women to harvest and collect their fruits. Aduna collect baobab fruits from over 900 producers from thirty communities and employ a further two hundred women to transform the fruits into powder. It is at this stage that they ship the powder to the UK. With this model, the added-value from the processing stays within the community and the income goes directly into the hands of the women. Aduna is now working with hundreds more producers from all over Africa including other parts of Ghana, Malawi, Egypt, Burkina Faso and Uganda.
We congratulate Aduna who since launching in 2012 have won a number of awards for their Super products and for their social business model: winner Global Sourcing Council’s Innovative Sourcing Award; winner UKBAA’s Social Impact Investment of the Year; winner of the 2015 Great Taste Awards ; winner of the Natwest SE100 Storyteller Award 2015 And many more….
Aduna’s African superfoods range include the extraordinary Baobab fruit, Moringa leaf, raw Cacao, Hibiscus & more, which are provided as: Superfood Powders – pure powders for boosting smoothies, food and drinks – the perfect way to super-charge your mealtimes. Superfood Energy Bars – made from fruit and nuts with no added sugar, each bar is a source of gut-friendly fibre and two energising vitamins and minerals – an ideal choice for on-the-go nutrition. Super-Teas – delicious organic infusions packed with active botanical ingredients supporting a wide range of health benefits. Their products are all 100% natural, vegan, packed with nutrients and antioxidants. [Go to www.isitkosher.uk for the full kosher list].
All available from their website as well as many independent health food stores and Holland and Barrett. More recently Aduna was beyond delighted to announce that their products are now available at the iconic British supermarket Sainsbury’s “Tastes Of the Future” section in selected stores.
We were lucky to speak to Chandni Sanghani, Aduna’s Marketing Manager, to whom we asked:
Which of your products is the bestseller and why? All of our African superfoods are in high demand at the moment – baobab, moringa and super-cacao. This is because they’re significantly more nutrient-dense than other superfoods on the market – and they actually taste nice! This is important because consumers are no longer willing to compromise on taste in order to boost their health; products need to be natural, nutritious and delicious in equal measure, and Baobab, Moringa and Cacao tick all the boxes: Baobab: baobab is an exceptionally nutritious superfruit from Africa’s “Tree of Life.” Its pulp dries in the shell to create a natural superfood powder that is rich in vitamin C (six times more than an orange), prebiotic fibre (great for gut health) and antioxidants. It tastes just like zingy sherbet and is perfect for boosting breakfasts and smoothies. Moringa: the leaves of the moringa “Miracle Tree”, an ayurvedic plant beloved by the Pharaohs, are one of the most nutrient-rich superfoods in the world. Moringa is a source of five vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium, vitamins A, E and K), protein (including all nine essential amino acids), fibre and antioxidants. Named a Food of the Future in recent reports by Knorr and Sainsbury’s it is most commonly eaten as a dry leaf powder, which has a spinachy green flavour and an Insta-worthy vibrant green colour. Delicious in tea, lattes or as a superfood seasoning. Super-Cacao Powder: Aduna Super-Cacao is made from specially-selected high-flavanol cacao beans (pure cocoa). Flavanols are a plant-based antioxidant that support a wide range of health benefits from cardiovascular health to brain function – a recent study even found they can help reduce fatigue in MS sufferers. Aduna Super-Cacao carries an EFSA approved health claim on the pack thanks to its high flavanol content. Rich and chocolatey, use to make healthy hot chocolates, shakes, desserts and baked goods.
Where do you see your brand in the next five years? Believe it or not, Aduna actually has a 35 year plan. Our ultimate vision is to become the world’s first Africa-inspired global lifestyle brand and social business that promotes and celebrates the vibrancy of Africa. For now we are focused on making super-delicious, naturally nutritious food and drinks powered by African superfoods, boosting your health while creating sustainable incomes for rural African households. Through our baobab fruit supply chain we have created livelihoods for over 1,000 women in Upper East Ghana, enabling them to provide basic needs for their families. We are currently transitioning towards becoming more of a mainstream brand with a more mainstream product offering, which will enable us to reach even more consumers with our products and create incomes for thousands more households in Africa.
How does being kosher certified benefit your product? Being kosher certified is not only a stamp of approval for those following a kosher diet, it is also a badge of quality for our products. The KLBD has been a huge support to our brand, sampling our products and explaining their provenance and health benefits to their community and supporting our social mission and marketing campaigns. Being kosher certified goes far beyond simply carrying the logo, it is about being part of a community.
Do you have any new products in development? Our business model is all about bringing exciting new ingredients from Africa and innovating new added-value superfood products. We will be launching a very exciting new ingredient soon so watch this space!
Head over to Aduna’s vibrant website www.aduna.com which is full of news ,competitions, interesting articles and amazing food and beauty recipes. Subscribe to their newsletter and join the Aduna Feel Good Tribe!!!!
Spread the #Baobablove !!!
