Everleaf has chosen Alland & Robert for their drinks
It can be a challenge to find non-alcoholic choices that have any real flavor, quality, or character. Paul Mathew, the founder of Everleaf, created three non-alcoholic aperitifs to meet growing consumer demand.
What do they have in common? They are all made with Alland & Robert acacia gum. Paul Mathew believes this ingredient makes all the difference, giving his natural botanical blends their subtle flavor, silky texture, and full mouthfeel.
Interview of Paul Mathew, founder of Everleaf.
Why did you enter the non-alcoholic beverage market?
Paul Mathew: Today’s market is being driven by a growing demand for beverages that are non-alcoholic … but not flavor-free! The impetus for this shift is people’s improved awareness of how excessive alcohol consumption can be harmful to their health.
But even people who don’t choose to drink still want tasty alternatives with adult sophistication, especially when enjoying the nightlife in cocktail bars and clubs. But making such a drink presents plenty of challenges: a mouthfeel that’s comparable to spirits, rich, complex aromas, and visual appeal.
What does acacia gum bring to cocktails made using your Everleaf beverages?
P. M. : Acacia gum is really the ingredient that changes everything! It gives each sip a silky, delicate texture. It’s also important as a binder and lengthens the finish on the palate, leaving more time for the various flavors to unfold. When we drink wine, bourbon, or a cocktail, it awakens all our senses: sight, smell, earing, touch, and, of course, taste. The aromas evolve and the drink’s texture, thickness, or fluidity make the tasting experience complex and complete, something you don’t get with non-alcoholic beverages.
As a conservation biologist with long family ties to botany, as well as a former bartender or “mixologist,” I wanted to successfully craft non-alcoholic beverages that were truly multifaceted and delicious. My expertise in both plants and spirits helped me in creating three different beverages, and I use acacia gum in all of them as a binder and to add texture without distorting the flavors. Everleaf blends give you an experience as sophisticated as those you enjoy with alcoholic cocktails.
Why did you choose Alland & Robert?
P. M. : I always carefully select the ingredients I use: I like to know the story behind them and be confident of their origins and how they’re produced. I want to be able to tell our clients the origin of every single ingredient I put in my drinks. That’s one reason I chose to work with Alland & Robert. Their transparency, the way they care about their harvesters’ standard of living, and the longstanding relationships they forge with these workers are unlike anything else on the market.
Introducing our Company Foundation
Alland & Robert is very proud to introduce its Company Foundation, a France-based non-profit organisation whose goal is to reinforce Alland & Robert’s commitment towards the environment and the communities linked to natural gums.
Purpose
The purpose of the foundation is to initiate, support and follow various projects in line with its mission in countries where Alland & Robert operates, and more generally in the African continent where most of our raw materials come from.
Mission
The foundation’s mission is to make a difference within the communities where Alland & Robert sources natural gums. We focus our efforts on:
♦ Supporting communities through various projects related to education, health, infrastructures, women empowerment.
♦ Environment preservation and focus on the African nature and biodiversity conservation.
These projects are initiated and created thanks to the know-how of Alland & Robert, who has over 135 years of expertise in natural gums and partnerships with African communities.
A year of partnership with TREE AID to plant acacia trees!
We help plant trees since January 2020. Here is a summary of our achievements over the last year.
Growing the Great Green Wall
The Great Green Wall is an African-led initiative whose ambition is to grow a wide belt of trees, vegetation and fertile land across the Sahel. This ambitious project represents an 8,000km band of trees but is also so much more than that! It is providing food and jobs to the millions of people living in the Sahel, and bringing Africa’s degraded lands back to life.
How is Alland & Robert helping?
The projects we support are part of the Great Green Wall movement. As native species perfectly adapted to the desert, acacia trees are one of the main trees planted as part of the Great Green Wall.
Reducing poverty in Mali
The Koulikoro region of Mali lost 86% of its forests to deforestation in 10 years. Most of the trees were cut down to make rooms for farms. In addition, the climate crisis is making the environment hotter and rainfall more unpredictable. People struggle to grow enough crops to feed their family or sell to make a living.
How is Alland & Robert helping?
Alland & Robert supports a project aiming to train over 400 farmers to grow and protect trees, and restore degraded lands. Women’s group are supported to makefuel-saving stoves that use half the firewood usually used in traditional stoves, which reduces the amount of trees being cut down. 2 tree nurseries have been set up and they have produced over 19,000 trees. Since 2017, Tree Aid have been working on restoring Koulikoro and they have recorded a 34% decrease in poverty in the households they are working with.
Establishing effective community forest governance in Niger
In Park W, Alland & Robert supports a project aiming to help over 250 families to develop businesses based on tree products, including acacia gum. Another objective of the project is to train people to look after forest resources and manage their land sustainably.
How is Alland & Robert helping?
A member of Tree Aid in Niger said about acacias Senegal, one of the acacia variety producing acacia gum: “It is drought resistant and adapts to completely degraded areas, in addition it produces gum arabic for the communities and the seeds are in great demand. It is also a fodder and leguminous species that enriches the soil.”
Supporting ecosystems and communities in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, over 90,000 hectares of forests are being cut down every year. As a result, huge areas of land are no longer able to support plant life, and farming is becoming impossible. In the Central Rift Valley, eroded soil then flows down the Meki River into the nearby Lake Ziway, causing it to dry up as it fills with silt.
How is Alland & Robert helping?
Alland & Robert supports a project in Dugda-Meki that helps people to restore their local environment, build sustainable businesses and grow nutritious food. In partnership with Tree Aid, we help regenerate degraded land so that it can provide communities with food and incomes, helping them to thrive. Local people are growing trees and learning soil and water conservation methods that will help them restore the land and trees for years to come.
Acacia gum and gut health
A study confirms the positive impact of acacia gum on gut health and digestive wellness.
In recent years, the gastrointestinal (GI) system has been linked to numerous aspects of health. Many consumers today know that a happy, healthy gut is key for overall wellbeing. There is significant demand for food, beverage and dietary supplement with digestive health advantages.
Alland & Robert decided to research to role acacia gum can play in gut health. Our objective: evaluate the impact of acacia gum on consumers who suffer from intestinal disorders regularly, and provide scientific data that support the use of acacia gum as a gut health agent.
Alland & Robert shares the results of this exclusive study in a technical paper designed for formulators looking for gut health friendly ingredients.
Complete the form. You will receive the technical paper by email.
(You may not receive it immediatly, it may take a little while)
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Let's plant Acacias together!
In 2020, Alland & Robert announced the launch of “Let’s plant Acacias together!”, an initiative to plant acacia trees as a way to tackle climate change and bring subsistence in the African Sahel.
Alland & Robert has teamed up with TREE AID, a UK-based charity specialized in reforesting the African drylands. This partnership will draw on the unique properties of acacia trees to help protect land and livelihoods in Africa.
Alland & Robert has been involved in Africa for a long time with an ambitious policy of social, environmental and economic responsibility. We’re excited that this new initiative reflects our commitment to do concrete work in supporting acacia communities and protecting their environment through reforestation.
With this innovative initiative “Let’s plant acacia together”, Alland & Robert hopes to highlight the positive impact of acacia gum and acacia trees on the environment.
Corporate Responsibility Report 2020
REPORT DOWNLOAD: Our 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report is out!
Alland & Robert works hard to be sustainable and provide our customers, clients and final consumers with natural, organic and ethic ingredients. We are strongly rooted in the Sahel where we support our suppliers, and all communities working in the Acacia and Karaya gum industries.
Our Corporate Responsibility Report is a summary of all our actions and initiatives towards sustainability. We hope it will excite and educate you on the world of natural gums!
Contact us to receive our Corporate responsibility Report 2020!
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Alland & Robert may use your contact data to keep you informed of its products and services by email or by phone. You can withdraw your marketing consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in such email or by sending an email to info@allandetrobert.fr.
More information on our processing can be found in our Privacy Notice. By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Notice.
Acacia gum benefits in breads
Did you know that acacia gum is already used in bread products worldwide?
Alland & Robert collaborated with LEMPA (Laboratory for the testing of food products) to carry out a study evaluating acacia gum’s impact on bread (in terms of texture, water retention and preservation) as well as a sensory evaluation. Using two types of acacia gum (Acacia Gum Seyal and Acacia Gum Senegal) and two types of bread (white sandwich bread and gluten free bread), they discovered that adding acacia gum to bread improves texture and preservation, enhances taste and adds soluble fibre!
Download our documentation about the benefits of acacia gum in breads!
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Alland & Robert may use your contact data to keep you informed of its products and services by email or by phone. You can withdraw your marketing consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in such email or by sending an email to info@allandetrobert.fr.
More information on our processing can be found in our Privacy Notice. By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Notice.
Acacia gum and sugar reduction
Acacia gum is a versatile ingredient for sugar-reduced and sugar-free food and drinks!
In the food and beverages industry, reducing or eliminating sugar content is a necessity in order to address the health issues faced by the world population. In order to find solutions, the food industry can count on acacia gum, a natural additive and ingredient sourced from the Acacia tree.
Complete the form. You will receive the documentation by email.
(You may not receive it immediatly, it may take a little while)
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Alland & Robert may use your contact data to keep you informed of its products and services by email or by phone. You can withdraw your marketing consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in such email or by sending an email to info@allandetrobert.fr.
More information on our processing can be found in our Privacy Notice. By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Notice.