MALI – Two food companies have partnered in Mali to create a new that seeks to have a piece of global gluten-free market by making use of a neglected but a potential sustainable crop native to the West Africa.
Sustainable African Foods, a partnership between businessman Simballa Sylla, former CEO of Mali-based shea butter company Mali Shi, and US-based African foods company Yolélé, co-founded by chef Pierre Thiam and Philip Teverow – seeks to tap into regional and international demand for fonio.
Fonio (Digitaria exilis), a type of millet, is the oldest indigenous crop in West Africa and one of the fastest-maturing cereals.
Despite its low yield, the combination of quick maturation and drought tolerance and its ability to thrive in poor soils make it a useful model for understanding how cereals can adapt to future climate change conditions.
Fonio has been feeding families in West Africa for more than 5,000 years, longer than any other cultivated grain on the continent.
The company is setting up the world’s first industrial scale fonio processing plant in Mali to produce processed fonio grains and flour.
To turn fonio into consumable food, several steps are typically required. These include hulling the grains, removing the bran and germ, as well as eliminating any sand or other impurities. It helps to precook it too.
The investors are hopeful to kickstart operations in the last quarter of this year, as they eye the global market for gluten-free products.
An indication by Sustainable African Foods says that the global food industry’s interest in fonio has grown recently due to its attractive nutritional properties.
Fonio flour is gathering steam among nutritionists and food scientists in developed countries due to its richness in amino acids. In 2022, the global gluten-free food market was estimated at US$6.2 billion. This market is expected to grow 7.5% annually over the next 10 years.
Recently, Danish multinational brewer, Carlsberg, launched the worlds-first 100% non-barley beer, in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery, make use of fonio, to improve sustainable brewing practices.
The limited-edition beer, brewed in the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, is clean, with soft aromas of apricots, white peaches, and melon with an underlying sweetness and lingering bitterness giving a vibrant and delicate finish.
The beer is half-way between a beer and a sparkling wine. It has been created using Carlsberg’s lager yeast, and the strong brew comes in at 7.5% ABV.
Zoran Gojkovic, director of Brewing Science & Technology, Carlsberg said, “Carlsberg is constantly working to invigorate curiosity, and I firmly believe that all progress in the world starts with a spark of curiosity.”
“Fonio is an amazing West African grain, but it presented several technical challenges for us to learn from and overcome – especially as there are no recipes for a beer like this. However, the extremely clean, crisp beer we’ve made is sure to set curious minds ablaze as we continue to test the potential of fonio in brewing and beyond.”
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