Baobab Jam, tastes good, does good

Aim

Creating conscious health our delicious Baobab Jams support women food producers in The Gambia and consumers in the UK to grow healthy lives

•  What's Baobab Jam about?

 Baobab Jam aims to empower women food producers in The Gambia as well as consumers in the UK to grow healthy lives.  Consumers will enjoy its unique flavour, delicious taste and amazing nutritional benefits.  

"Its got the intensity of strawberry jam but has so much more zing with a really tropical edge.   Once you've tried it you want to have it again" Paula Seager, Food PR and event specialist

Proceeds from its sales will be used to support women producer groups with simple processing technologies, packaging and supplies to increase their income for improved quality of life.

• What's the problem

Food producers in The Gambia lack access to the packaging and processing resources which add value to their products and help them diversify into new avenues.    As a result they suffer from  seasonal gluts, low prices and wasted produce.   UK consumers are looking for natural nutritious foods that support healthy lifestyle and maintain good health.  There is increasing interest in foods that are natural, free from additives and preservatives but convenience food tends to be highly processed and often contains artificial taste enhancers and preservatives that can be harmful to health.  

•   What's special about my project

My project is about promoting healthy living, providing a simple grocery staple, made without any additives or preservatives, that contains a large number of minerals and vitamins.   The baobab fruit is  recognised as a superfruit due to its wealth of vitamins and minerals.  Chosan Baobab Jam tastes delicious, is rich in nutrients and comes without any additives or preservative.   With ten pence from the sale of every jar going to women food producers in The Gambia  Chosan Baobab Jam will empower them to improve their quality of life.  So as well as supporting women in The Gambia, I am also bringing a nutritious new product to the market for consumers in the UK.

• Why me

I’ve always been quite passionate about helping people and worked for many years designing and managing social development projects.    In my early career as a project development planner in The Gambia, I worked on a national Women In Development project funded by the World Bank.    This gave me a very good understanding of the issues facing women farmers and some of the opportunities provided by food technologies for addressing them.    It also made it possible for me to develop good contacts with practitioners and experts. 

•  How it all started

When I lived and worked in The Gambia, I was always struck by the abundance of fruits that went to waste because of the lack of adequate storage and processing capacity.  There was either too much fruit (and vegetables) or not enough.     But when I visited countries in other parts of the world the same fruits could be eaten all year round in different forms.     This was the start of my vision to support local food processing capacity, enabling food producers to add value and diversify their products so that they increase the incomes they earn from their hard work and enjoy a better quality of life for themselves and their families.    So far Chosan has provided a large stock of bottle closures to a group of Gambian women food processors.   This has made it  possible for them to sell their popular pepper sauce in local shops and supermarkets. 

Having grown up eating fresh locally available fruits I wanted to share this experience with others so that they could also enjoy their exotic refreshing natural flavours.    The great thing is that they are also very good sources of vital nutrients, so in promoting the natural goodness of these fruits I could also help consumers lead healthy lives.   Chosan was born, a social enterprise that is about empowering food producers and consumers to grow healthy lives. 

  As an African inspired brand Chosan does this by creating premium food and drink products, made from exotic fruits (baobab) and plants (hibiscus), for consumers in UK.  I have a loose network of friends and mentors who support me with this  but I am responsible for keeping Chosan on the road.    To date Chosan has produced two  products using the Hibiscus plant (Hibiscus drinks, Hibiscus infused sorbets). 

   With your help I want  to make Chosan Baobab Jam widely available for anyone looking for delicious nutritious natural food that supports healthy living and well being.   You will also be playing an important part in making a big difference to the lives of the women food producers who receive practical resources and supplies funded from the sale of the jams.    

• Where will your money go

I am crowdfunding to cover the marketing costs  of Chosan Baobab Jam including the making of labels and leaflets, plus website changes.   Funds raised will also go towards the production costs of the first batches of the jams.  I have already trialled the jams at a food festival last September and received lots of positive feedback.    

Thank you in advance for your kind support

This project successfully funded on 30th March 2020