This week’s Friday feature is all about a company called Aduna, who are aiming to use the health and beauty market to benefit the communities that produce their products.
The word “superfood” has integrated itself into our vocabulary recently enough to mean that the spell check on my computer doesn’t recognise it.
And yet, it now an everyday term. Most of us eat superfoods as part of a balanced diet, making the most of their superior qualities to enhance our health and wellbeing.
But do we stop and think about where they come from? I’ve never really put that much thought into it, but Aduna have.
They sell both health foods and beauty products that are natural, ethical and sustainable. Take baobab for example. It is rich in antioxidants and also contains high levels of vitamin C, calcium, potassium and thiamin.
The story of palm oil plantations destroying wildlife habitat tells us that just because something is natural, that doesn’t make it ethical or sustainable.
That’s what’s so great about baobab. It is harvested in the wild from trees owned by the community. No plantations, no habitat destruction and no poor working conditions.
Although baobab grows in 32 countries, Aduna are starting by working just with 11 rural communities in Senegal and Ghana. They may be starting small but they are dreaming big.
National Geographic believe that baobab could be worth a billion dollars to communities in rural Africa. Up to ten million households could make a sustainable livelihood from supplying it through an ethical, fair trade and sustainable industry.
Which leads me neatly onto the charity that Aduna support, who know all about the power of trees.
Tree Aid is a lifeline to the poorest communities in rural Africa who are living in dry and isolated conditions. They provide people, mothers in particular, with the business skills needed to process and sell the food from their trees.
They also believe in protecting the environment in order to help future generations as well as the people they are working with now.
Trees planted include nuts, nutrient rich greens and mangoes which can provide food, nutrition and trade for people living in remote areas.
Like Aduna, Tree Aid also sing the praises of baobab. Its fruit can be used fresh by communities to make jam and fruit juice, or dried to process for sale.
Baobab leaves are also edible, eaten raw like spinach or cooked up into sauces. These trees can provide nutrients for communities all year round when there may be nothing else available.
This is in addition to the money brought in by the sale of them, which allows families to buy staple foods like rice and millet that will sustain them all year round.
Please note that this post is not sponsored and it is not a review post, I haven’t used baobab myself. However, I love the concept behind both Aduna and Tree Aid and will definitely be buying some baobab next time we visit our local health food shop. I’ll let you know what I think!