For very good reasons baobab is classified as a superfruit! The fruit of the mystical monkey bread tree is extremely nutricious and full of vitamins, fibre and minerals. The baobab fruit are egg-shaped, have a hard, wood-like shell and are 10-40 cm Long. Due to high levels of vitamin C the natural fruit powder has a pleasantly tangy taste.

The baobab fruit provides:

• 2x more calcium than milk
• 6 x more vitamin C than oranges
• 6 x more potassium than bananas
• 2 x higher antioxidant levels than açai or goji-berries
• and is rich in thiamin and iron.

The baobab fruit offers a multitude of functional and nutritional-physiological benefits that you can use for your products. In addition, by using baobab you are also doing something good, because our WOWBAB® also makes a positive ecological as well as ethical contribution!

There is no fair-trade standard for Baobab. However, it is very important to us that we claim social responsibility together with you. By using Baobab, you contribute to the local economy and environmental protection in Mozambique, the origin of our WOWBAB®: the harvest and processing of the fruits provides over 1,700 women from 25 villages with a significant source of income to support their families.

It is particularly important to us that harvesting is carried out under high quality standards. The EU directives regarding working conditions, labour law, equal treatment and the Environmental protection requirements regarding climate protection, water and energy use are implemented accordingly (only renewable energies are used in the production of baobab powder: Solar and hydroelectric power). Also, the employees receive comprehensive work and safety training.

Our trade partner works under the umbrella of MICAIA, a social non-profit aid organization that has been active since 2015 and is co-funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The pays 3-4 times the wage for the harvest of the baobab fruit. The goal is to promote social, educational, environmental and agricultural projects – such as the harvesting of baobab!

Baobab is harvested “wild”, i.e. no pesticides are used and no watering systems are installed. Therefore, the baobab harvest in Mozambique (as everywhere in Africa) helps to preserve the natural vegetation, to stop the clearing of the beautiful huge trees, and to stop the desertification of large parts of the country.

The majestic baobab (baobab tree), probably the best-known tree in Africa, is called the pharmacy tree or magic tree by the locals. These mighty trees of the African savannah become sometimes up to 1000 years old, some even bear fruit for the first time after 100 years – making the baobab a prime example of slow food!

The baobab grows mainly in the African dry savannah, and is a master of water management. The fruit ripens in the rainy season, as soon as it becomes drier, the tree extracts the water from the fruit and stores it in its trunk. As a result, the active ingredients of the fruit are concentrated by the tree itself through natural ultrafiltration. Since neither oxygen nor heat play a role in this process, even unstable compounds like vitamin C or tocopherols remain intact.

The furry fruit, the bark, leaves and seeds have been sold on African markets for centuries – for traditional medicine, as food and for making natural cosmetics. The white, dry pulp is ground and, when mixed with water, makes a tart flavored, nutritious drink that children also enjoy as a “milk substitute“.

The myth of ‘Baobab’ and its proven functional qualities are the reason why we at Frutelia are so passionate about the fruit! For us, baobab is simply WOWBAB®!

The fruit of the baobab tree is a versatile natural ingredient that opens many new possibilities for the food industry, especially for clean label production:

Natural thickener

• • For achieving a creamy texture, for example in ice cream
  • For gelling due to the high natural content of pectin (approx. 40%), e.g. important in the production of jams or fruit preparations
• Natural emulsifier
  • Promotes a homogeneous texture and stability, e.g. for baked goods, due to the strongly emulsifying qualities
• Natural flavour enhancer for fruit preparations due to the high vitamin C content and acidic, lemony flavour of the baobab fruit
• Natural yeast properties: Baobab has a leavening effect as an ingredient in baked goods and is used as a substitute for yeast
• Easy to process due to the natural powder form (Baobab is the only fruit that dries naturally during ripening and is harvested this way)
• Clean Label – declared as an ingredient or fruit, not as an additive
• AND: Baobab can be used as a natural carrier – no need to use maltodextrin as a carrier in your product

 There are many reasons why you should integrate this African superfruit into your product recipe:

• WOWBAB® is certified organic
• Safety of processing according to the requirements of the food & nutritional supplements industry
  • Processing in a modern factory according to HACCP standards
  • Detailed and precise specification according to current EU directives
  • Highest microbiological stability through regular controls
  • Strict preventive measures to manage the risk of foreign bodies
• Highest quality standards in Africa regarding sustainability and environmental standards
• Transparent supply chain and traceability and to the tree
• Constant availability
  • Stored in the Netherlands with year-round availability
  • Shelf life: Due to the very low water activity (Aw), can be stored up to 3 years after production date if stored correctly
• Economy, ecology, and ethics are in harmony at WOWBAB®
  • Harvesting and processing supports the African micro-economy
  • Use of the baobab tree prevents deforestation and slows down ongoing desertification
  • The fruits are harvested by the village communities in Mozambique from the natural baobab population, some of which is thousands of years old – naturally, fairly and sustainably