Baobab Fruit Is About to Be Everywhere — and for Good Reason

The next time you’re at the grocery store, you might want to keep an eye out for baobab. With its impressive nutrient profile and delightfully tangy flavor, the fruit is on its way to becoming the go-to ingredient for juices, cookies, and more. But what is baobab, exactly — and is all the buzz legit? Read on to learn about all the baobab benefits, its many different forms (i.e. baobab powder), and how to use it at home.

If you’ve started seeing baobab powder as an ingredient in more and more products, you’re not alone. Find out what makes this fruit so special, according to nutrition experts.

Read the full article by MSN here

Can vitamin C from the Baobab Fruit Help your body fight Coronavirus?

Daily Express Coronavirus News: The Baobab Fruit Could Help Protect You

The UK-based newspaper, Daily Express, recently reported on the importance of maintaining high levels of vitamin-C by taking Baobab fruit powder daily, as a defense against respiratory infections. With the current increase in cases of the Coronavirus around the world, we know the Baobab fruit’s ability to boost the immune system could prove to be crucial.

Vitamin C has long been known as one of the most powerful defenses our body needs to fight off infections and viruses. The intake of vitamin C sends signals to the body to produce more white blood cells, the body’s natural defenders, which then attach to the invasive microbes and kill them. Vitamin C isn’t produced by the body and can therefore only be obtained through food.

This is where we know the Baobab fruit really excels. One tablespoon can provide over half of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for an adult. This can be up to ten times more than the content of oranges. Because it comes in powder form, it is easy to incorporate into a daily smoothie, bowl, or salad, giving your body the tools it needs to fight off any unwanted bacteria.

Because the Baobab fruit is a raw, naturally occurring food, the bioavailability of the vitamin, and therefore, successful absorption is higher than lab-made supplements. As the fight against infection around the world continues, this may become an even more important factor, like vitamin C is currently being trialed in China as a potential cure for the Coronavirus. If these trials are successful then the fruit’s bioavailability could make it a primary resource in the treatment against the disease.

As well as excellent vitamin C levels, the Baobab fruit offers a number of other desirable health benefits that support the body daily and during potentially difficult times. Due to its high fiber content, the fruit is an excellent prebiotic, providing fuel for the healthy bacteria that protect our gut lining. As well as helping to regulate blood sugar levels, the Baobab fruit is also packed with adaptogens, natural substances that are able to decrease the level of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and tiredness in the human body, something that we could all use right now.

At Baobab Foods, we aim to show the world how beneficial the Baobab fruit can be when used daily as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. Our founder, David said it best:

“As the founder of Baobab Foods, I have always believed in the health benefits of the Baobab fruit. It was this belief that drove me to create Baobab Foods, in an effort to spread our belief in the health benefits of the fruit, and bring this important fruit to the North American food industry and consumers.” — David Bruck

Baobab superfruit gains traction for digestive health and sports nutrition

Nutrition Insight: Baobab resurgence? Things are looking up for the “upside down” tree

Recently, Nutrition Insight wrote an article about the resurgence of Baobab in the last few years. We can certainly agree that the Baobab fruit is gaining some serious traction in conjunction with the world’s growing interest in digestive health and sports nutrition – not to mention the Superfood craze.

With companies like Yeo Valley, Costco, and even Coca-Cola now incorporating the fruit from the Baobab tree into their mainstream products, demand has more than doubled and we’ve witnessed that growth first hand, seeing 100% growth in baobab powder exports in the last year.

The combination of interest in superfoods, sports nutrition, and digestive health has companies who currently carry products on the “not so healthy” side clamoring to include Baobab as an ingredient in efforts to remarket the food as “healthy & nutritious”, and for good reason. In addition to the prebiotic gut health properties, this fruit is ideal for those needing to regulate their blood sugar, aid electrolyte imbalances, make the most of natural adaptogens, and regulate their alkaline pH blood levels. With these incredibly beneficial properties and the interest in healthy, on the go products, we certainly expect to see some significant growth in the use of baobab powder throughout the health and sports-related industries.

Interestingly, all parts of the tree can be used. The dry fruit pulp has many uses; the most popular in most African regions are as a sherbert-like drink that is rich in vitamin C. The seeds can be pressed into oil that has wonderful nutrient and topical properties. The hard, outer shell is waterproof and can be made into a variety of domestic articles such as calabashes and castanets. Both the seeds and the leaves can be eaten. The bark can be harvested without killing the tree and pounded to make rope.

There are 10’s of millions of baobab trees in 40 African countries that provide fruit for both humans and animals. Currently, most of those trees have no fruit harvested from them. Several African countries are currently developing baobab supply chains, which will significantly boost supplies for export. In the long term, crop scientists are researching improved baobab propagation and fruit yields, to ensure that baobab fruit supply can continue to meet demand as it grows.

Baobab Foods is at the vanguard of developing more efficient baobab processing techniques and machinery to increase the yield per ton of fruit pods harvested which will increase the tonnage produced with fewer pods needing to be harvested.

As the specific demand for the Baobab “superfruit” continues to increase, we expect to see continued growth in exports, greater care taken in supply chains, economic growth in some of the poorest parts of Africa, and greater interest in the sustainability of this iconic African tree.

Reuters: 'Superfood' craze makes big business of Africa's baobab

Reuters: ‘Superfood’ craze makes big business of Africa’s baobab

Recently, Reuters®, an international news agency headquartered in London, UK, published an interesting article discussing how the baobab “superfood” is affecting African communities, their livelihood, and whether or not we should be concerned about the sustainability of these iconic African trees.

As the world’s leading processor and supplier of organic baobab, we take pride in our commitment to creating socio-economic opportunities for the southern African communities where we source our baobab. We continue to strengthen our commitment, through our new relationship with Thirst Relief, an organization dedicated to changing lives and communities through clean water solutions.

Baobab Foods sources from several areas within the southern African region specifically because of its potential for safe and sustainable yields, and our direct connection to the region. For many years, our local harvesters have set the standard for best practices in Baobab harvest and fruit powder production. We are committed to the protection of the trees, not only through our harvesting practices but through our efforts with local communities encouraging the establishment, nurturing, and protection of new baobab woodlands.

The demand for baobab has dramatically taken off in recent years due to its numerous health benefits. Large companies are clamoring to incorporate baobab powder into their products such as the Yeo Valley Vanilla-Baobab Yogurt, Coca-Cola’s Innocent Smoothies, and most recently through the new Acai Bowl with baobab served in Costco’s food courts.

As Reuters explains, “Exports of the hard-shelled fruit rose from 50 tonnes in 2013 to 450 tonnes in 2017…and are expected to reach 50000 tonnes by 2025.” We have certainly seen this substantial growth first hand as last year, we exported 100% more baobab product than we did the year before.

As the world’s largest processor and supplier of baobab fruit powder, we can confirm Reuters’ reporting of baobab growth. In 2018 we have more than doubled our annual imports of baobab fruit powder into the United States, alone.

We are excited to be a part of the significant growth seen in the Baobab industry and will continue our environmental focus on the trees’ protection, providing socio-economic opportunities to African communities and partnering with organizations like Thirst Relief where the quality of life is a top priority.

What a hunter-gatherer diet does to the body in just three days

Originally Published on CNN.com  on July 5, 2017, by Tim Spector

The million-year-old diet

The Hadza seek out the same animals and plants that humans have hunted and gathered for millions of years. Importantly, the human-microbe tango that played out here for aeons probably shaped aspects of our immune system and made us who we are today. The significance of being in Hadza-land was not lost on me.

Unlike the Hadza, who sleep around the fire or in grass huts, I was given a tent and told to zip it up tight as there were scorpions and snakes about. I had to be careful where I stepped if I needed a nocturnal pee. After an interesting but restless night’s sleep, a large pile of baobab pods had been collected for my breakfast.

The baobab fruit is the staple of the Hadza diet, packed with vitamins, fat in the seeds, and, of course, significant amounts of fibre. We were surrounded by baobab trees stretching in the distance as far as I could see. Baobab fruit have a hard coconut-like shell that cracks easily to reveal a chalky flesh around a large, fat-rich seed. The high levels of vitamin C provided an unexpected citrus tang.

The Hadza mixed the chalky bits with water and whisked it vigorously for two to three minutes with a stick until it was a thick, milky porridge that was filtered — somewhat — into a mug for my breakfast. It was surprisingly pleasant and refreshing. As I wasn’t sure what else I would be eating on my first day, I drank two mugs and suddenly felt very full.

To learn more about the affect of this diet filled with baobab on the author’s micro-biome click Read the Full Article Here

 

 

Is Africa’s Ancient Baobab Tree Growing the Next Superfood? via National Geographic

Originally Published on National Geographic, March 1st, 2016, by Geeta Maker-Clark

baobab fruits

Driving out of Dakar into the fine sandy dust of the Senegal countryside, people become scarce along the dirt tracks. All I see for miles are a few scattered thatch-covered homes, some patches of greens growing beside them, and lots of scrubby grass. Then, the landscape feels other-worldly as the trees become denser. These are not your everyday-looking neighborhood oaks, but rather, enormous, magical beings that appear to have been there since the beginning of time. They are baobab trees.

(Photograph by Georges Gobet, AFP, Getty)

Baobab in Beverage Daily

Baobab Foods predicts baobab will explode in the US beverage industry: Featured on BeverageDaily.com

Originally Posted by: Douglas Yu, February 16th 2016

Baobab-Foods-predicts-baobab-will-explode-in-the-US-beverage-industry_strict_xxlSPINS data shows baobab sales have increased 208% in all natural sales channels from June 2014 to July 2015, and 267% in supplements. US supplier Baobab Foods is working with beverage companies, including Suja Juice, to incorporate the African “superfruit” into their products.

Catch the full interview here: http://www.beveragedaily.com/Markets/Baobab-Foods-predicts-baobab-will-explode-in-the-US-beverage-industry

Fruits of Their Labor- Package Design

Fruits of Their Labor:  Featured on Package Design Magazine

Originally Posted By: Keith Loria, February 19th, 2016

products-callout-350

When reviewing the performance and packaging for its Baobest BaoBites and Baobab Superfruit powder, Baobab Foods wanted to increase the appeal of both products to different target consumers in the boutique brand’s fan base.

“We had done a design a couple of years ago, just to have up online as we were developing plans for Baobab, but nothing too elaborate,” says Stephan Broburg, general manager of Baobab Foods. “When we looked at it a year-and-a-half ago, now that we had the BaoBites and superfruit snacks, we wanted to redevelop it into something that would go with the Baobab powder.”

Creating cross-generational appeal

Baobab Foods called on Centric Brand Anthropology to help it find visual brand identities that both target markets would crave.

“They are known for doing a lot of consumer research and their approach deals with a lot of cultural anthropologists, so it’s not just relying on surveys; they are in people’s houses seeing how they live and how they use consumer products,” Broburg says. “They do a lot of research so they were able to help us figure out the target audience.”

Snacks That Give Back- Oxygen Magazine

Snacks that Give Back: These 7 between-meal bites not only satisfy your hunger but also go the extra mile and give back to charity

Originally Posted By: Lara McGlashan MFA CPT, January 7th, 2016

Baobab 4.30.15-090-Edit

Whether you’re fending off a mid-afternoon snack attack or need to eat on the go, stave off the hangries with these 7 healthy snacks. As part 3 to our Giving Back series (see part 1 here and part 2 here), these nutritious nibbles are also affiliated with fantastic charities, helping feed, water, clothe and employ thousands of people around the world. Nice noshing!

Made from the fruits of the ancient African Baobab tree, harvested by hand, and managed sustainably, BaoBites has 10 times the antioxidants like acai, helping support your immune system and fight inflammation. It also assists with recovery from tough workouts with plenty of potassium and is gluten-free, vegan, Non-GMO, high-fiber, and nutrient-dense.

Giving Back: Harvesting the baobab fruits creates ethical and sustainable job opportunities for local workers, and 30 percent of each baobab harvest remains in the community for local consumption.