|
|
Organic Teeccino Maya Herbal Coffee
 The latest evolution in herbal coffee that is the closest approximation to real coffee! After 10 years of serving Teeccino at numerous events where people would tell me what they liked and disliked about the Classic Teeccino flavors, I knew there was a set of taste preferences that the Classic flavors weren’t satisfying. These purists wanted a less complex flavor without any sweetness.
Since I have created numerous herbal tea lines with distinct flavor profiles, why couldn’t I create a different herbal coffee line? The answer is always in the ingredients. It took discovering ramon nuts to inspire Teeccino’s Maya Herbal Coffee line into being.
But it hasn’t been easy. Four years ago, the effort began to organize rural communities in the Peten region of Guatemala to harvest a dependable supply of ramon nuts from trees growing wild in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Organic certification was part of the process that led us to certify all the other ingredients and processors as well. Carob and chicory from Europe have been particularly problematic because the US National Organic Program doesn’t accept European organic certification. Delays have caused frustration on all our parts, but perseverance has finally rewarded our efforts. We truly hope you enjoy Organic Teeccino Maya Herbal Coffee!
Nutritious Ramon Nuts
Known as "Yaxox" in Mayan, the ramon tree (Brosimum Alicastrum) is a member of the fig family, which also includes mulberry trees. Referred to as "corn tree" by the Maya civilization, its nut was a staple food crop, capable of being stored for lengthy periods of time, that was roasted, ground into a flour and combined with corn for baking or boiled and eaten like potatoes. Ramon nuts are actually the seed of the ramon fruit. They have zero fat and can be ground into flour which is gluten-free making it a nutritious addition to gluten-free flours. Ramon flour is very high in potassium, fiber and tryptophan, the amino acid that helps calm stress and anxiety. Ramon nuts were used medicinally by the Maya to detoxify the liver and promote lactation in nursing women. Other common names for ramon nuts are ojoche, mojo. breadnut and mayanut.
Ramon Nut Nutrition Charts (Click Image for detail)
About the Maya Rainforest
The Maya Biosphere Reserve spans over 5 million acres in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Approximately 20% of the upper story trees in the Meso-American rainforest are ramon trees. Towering over 120 ft., ramon trees are home to numerous rainforest inhabitants including monkeys and birds and provide forage food for mammals. For 2000 years, a vibrant Maya civilization thrived within this rainforest cultivating ramon trees and many other species to produce food and medicine for their vast communities. Today, the Maya are working to restore the productivity of the rainforest and prevent its destruction for cattle grazing and monoculture. Following the ancient Maya tradition of using sustainable harvesting methods, ramon nuts are now being wild harvested from ramon trees that originally were selectively cultivated by their Maya ancestors.
Click Here for a photo essay about harvesting ramon nut in the Maya Biosphere
Sales of Teeccino Support Rainforest Preservation
1% of all Maya sales are donated to organizations that develop sustainable forest crops to alleviate poverty and conduct educational programs to improve the nutrition of women and children in rural communities in The Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Vitamin Angels -
Click Here for website.
Conducts programs to provide nutritional supplements that prevent childhood blindness and malnutrition in Maya communities in Belize and Guatemala. This non-profit organization has been using the money raised by sales of the Maya flavors in its Belize Children’s Nutrition Campaign which provides children with Vitamin A twice a year.
The Maya Alliance -
Click Here for website.
Supports traditional Maya horticulturalists in the restoration of the garden city of El Pilar, an ancient Maya city that straddles the border of Belize and Guatemala . The project is headed by UC Santa Barbara archeologist, Anabel Ford, who has worked with the government of Belize to create a management plan for El Pilar that includes the preservation of the forest canopy to protect the ancient Maya buildings.
The Equilibrium Fund -
Creates income sources for rural women through educational programs teaching about the sustainable harvest and use of nutritious ramon nuts. Founded by Erika Vohman, the Equilibrium Fund runs women’s educational programs in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Programs are designed to help women start small businesses using ramon nuts to create and market nutritious food products. Their programs address the key factors for creating sustainable livelihoods: Sociocultural, Environmental and Economic.
For More Information, Please Read:
- More information about the Forestrade work with the Maya Ramon Nut: Click Here
- A news report on the work of archeologist Anabel Ford in El Pilar, Belize: Click Here
- Nutritional graphs comparing ramon nuts to other common foods like wheat, corn and soy: Click Here
|
|