Grainly
Grainly
Grainly is born out of a hunger to transform and place African super foods (mainly grains) onto the tables of every African and beyond. As food scientists and agronomists versed in African staples, our vision is to “backup the future of African food security” by developing a sustainable value chain that guarantees, cultivation, primary processing, distribution and scaled value-add industrial transformation. Key to the creation of this sustainable value chain is the beneficiation of the communities (mainly women and the youth) that at the cultivation and primary processing source of these African superfoods.
Ancient African grains such as Millet, Fonio, Teff and Sorghum are gluten-free super foods that have sustained African lives for centuries. Their scale has, however, been stunted by the introduction of foreign grains such as maize and wheat. Whilst globally useful, these grains are foreign to African soils and food systems and do not possess the same superfood credentials as the African ancient grains. The African super grains are usually processed as whole grains making their potential for incorporation into healthy foods huge as the demand for great tasting wholegrains grows.
White fonio (Digitaria exilis), and black/red fonio (D. iburua) – also known as ‘hungry millet’ ‘hungry rice,’ fundi, and acha, are considered the oldest known African cereals. It holds the record of the world’s fastest maturing (60 – 70days) cereal, and therefore has the potential to play a massive role in the African food security bank. This “Grain of Life” as it is sometimes referred to, is grown mainly in the Savana areas of Africa and can survive in poor, sandy and acidic soil in low rainfall conditions that may not be suitable for crops such as maize. Fonio is considered one of the world’s best tasting cereals and whilst not widely recognized, could play a big role in the future of certainly African, if not global food. Grainly’s mission is to transform these grains into value-added products as part of its mission to put these ancient African Supergrains on our dining tables.