Your PBJ sandwich just got way healthier.

◊ By Pure & Eco India

Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India

Peanut butter has been revolutionised by Goa’s first organic food company. On July 23, 2021, Ambrosia Organic Farm, with its headquarters in the sleepy village of Parra in North Goa, introduced the world’s first mango-flavoured peanut butter.

The new launch has come close on the heels of a successful foray with the brand’s Blueberry Peanut Butter.

Founded by British national, David Gower, Ambrosia has developed several health food products over the years, including rice cakes and fruit-based peanut butters.

Mangoes, raw sugar, lemon juice and peanuts. And nothing else. No additives, no preservatives, no food colours

Ambrosia also offers Blueberry Peanut Butter, besides regular crunchy peanut butter

Emerging from humble beginnings in 1993, Ambrosia Organic Farm was registered with OFAI (Organic Farming Association of India) in 1995, and has since grown manifold in size and reach. Initially, Ambrosia started with vegetables and salad greens, and now the company has expanded into organic health products and snacks.

In 2010, the reins of the business were handed over to Gower’s adopted son, John D’Mello (aka Janardan Khorate), who has sought to expand the company even further. D’Mello threw open Ambrosia’s doors to local farmers, helping them in organic farming and delivering value-added products through Ambrosia’s online portal (www.ambrosiaorganicfarm.com) and offline supply chains across India.

Ambrosia Organic Farm came to life in 1993, when British national, David Gower, set up a salad greens business in Goa. The company later expanded to organic rice cakes and other organic foods

Gower noticed the lack of healthy snacking options in India and wanted to cater health-friendly snacks for its people. Thus, Ambrosia Organic Farms became the first rice cake manufacturer in India in 1999

Ambrosia’s farms extend into Bicholim, Siolim and even Amboli, where it has consolidated approximately 135 acres of land. As an organic farmer, D’Mello has lived 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 farmers’ children’s education, funding two schools on the Goa-Maharashtra border. Through its successful products such as its delicious rice cakes, Ambrosia Organic Farm has demonstrated that organic farming can be a sustainable and profitable venture.

Team Ambrosia Organic Farm: Founder David Gower (left) with adopted son John D’Mello (aka Janardan Khorate) and wife, Michelle Keleman

Manufacturing all its 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. We also train farmers to grow new crops like 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,” says D’Mello.

Ambrosia has expanded its reach and its products can now be spotted in stores across Punjab, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru.

While Gower had earned the moniker ‘Salad Baba’ for introducing healthy salads to the Goan palate, D’Mello continues in the footsteps of his predecessor with fitness food, such as rice cakes, muesli, edible seeds and now, fruit-flavoured peanut butter.

This healthy innovation 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 or jam. 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 Gower.

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

Thus, Ambrosia’s Mango Peanut Butter has ventured into uncharted territory, with great results. “Although Americans invented the idea, they never combined the ingredients in a jar. None of my American friends can recall ever seeing a premixed product, so possibly, it is the world’s first such peanut butter,” says Gower.

Gower has retired to his home in the UK with wife Michelle Keleman, and D’Mello now runs the venture. The latter is on a mission to ensure that every household in the country has this delicious and healthful combination of peanut and fruit.

“Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were believed to be popularised by the U.S. army for sustenance during the World War II; this is indicative of its health quotient. Like most good things in life, our products are simple. We use mangoes, raw sugar, lemon juice and peanuts. That’s all. No additives, no preservatives, no colouring, only natural ingredients,” says D’Mello.

For further information on Ambrosia Organic Farm’s Mango Peanut Butter and other healthy snacks,

visit www.ambrosiaorganicfarm.com or call +91-9130996666.