Your PBJ sandwich just got healthier

Love it or hate it, but you cannot just ignore it! Peanut butterhas just been revolutionized by this Goa-based company. Ambrosia Organic Farmwith its headquarters in the sleepy village of Parra in North Goa, has introduced probably the world’s first mango-flavored peanut butter.

The farm founded by British National David Gower has developed several health foods including rice cakes and the fruit peanut butter. From small beginnings in 1993, the Ambrosia Organic Farm began on a two-acre plot of land in Parra. The venture was registered with OFAI in 1995, and has since grown in size and in its reach. Starting with vegetables and salad greens, now expanded into organic health products.

In 2010, the reins of the business were then handed down to Gower’s adopted son, John D’Mello alias Janardan Khorate, who has sought to expand the company even further.He opened his door to local farmers, helping them in organic farming and delivering products through the online portal and offline supply chains across India. Though the head office is still situated in this North Goan village, the farms under the banner extend into Bicholim, Siolim and even Amboli, where it has consolidated about 135 acres of land.As an organic farmer, D’Mello knows the hardships faced by other farmers and thus provides a premium price for their crops. The venture has also been donating 30% of its net profit to farmer’s children education, and funding two schools around the Goa-Maharashtra border. Through such initiatives as the rice cakes, D’Mello has shown that organic farming can be a sustainable and profitable venture.

Manufacturing all their products from scratch, Ambrosia also has a vast network of farmers from across India. “We have farmers in Tamil Nadu, Shimoga who supply us with honey, from Rajasthan we get our millets, etc. We also train farmers to grow new crops like the black rice, which we acquired from Cambodia and are now growing in Parra, Goa. This strain of rice is said to be beneficial in weight loss and keeps the body healthy” he adds.

The venture has expanded its reach and its products can now be spotted in stores across Punjab, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Bangalore. While, Gower had earned the nickname ‘Saladbaba’ for introducing healthy salads to the Goan palate, D’Mello continues in the footsteps of his predecessor with fitness food, such as organic food and rice cakes muesli, dry foodsand now the fruit-flavored peanut butter.

This healthy innovation indeed has an interesting story behind it. “As a Brit I have always preferred my peanut butter on toast with some salt but almost all Americans eat it on bread with Jelly (jam to the rest of us). This practice is so totally ingrained in the American psyche that I eventually concluded that 300 million Americans can’t be wrong and that I should overcome my prejudice and give it a try,” says David, the founder, Ambrosia Farms.

He first attempted peanut butter with dried apricots and was amazed at how tasty it was. However apricots had to be procured from select places like Jammu and Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh, and this raised the production costs to a very high margin. “I then decided to try it with mangos because they are so plentiful in Goa and to my delight I found that mango peanut butter is even more delicious than apricot peanut butter,” he adds with a beaming smile.

Thus, Ambrosia’s Mango peanut butter has ventured into unexplored territory with great results. “Although Americans invented the idea, they never combined the ingredients in a jar, they only make it in situ, on their bread. None of my American friends can recall ever seeing a ready mixed product so possibly it is a world first for Ambrosia Organic Farm” says David.

Since ever since Gower has retired to his home in the UK, John who now runs the venture, is on a mission to ensure that every household has this great combination of peanut and fruit – a very healthy choice over other chocolate based nut butters. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were believed to be popularized by the U.S. army for sustenance during the World War II;this is indicative of its health quotient. Therefore, like many best things in life, our productsare very simple. We use mangos, raw sugar, lemon juice and peanuts. No additives, no preservatives, no coloring, only natural ingredients to produce delicious natural healthy food,” says John.

For more info you can visit www.ambrosiaorganicfarm.com or call them directly on 9130996666.