An Israeli foodtech startup is seeking sustainable farming methods of bringing an ancient fruit to the modern table, benefitting consumers and farmers.
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CarobWay, Ltd., based in Kiryat Shmona, cultivates locally-grown carob trees to boost carob-based product development.
A fruit known in antiquity and celebrated in the Bible, the carob fruit pod consists of about 90% pulp and 10% seeds by weight at full maturity. Carob seeds have been the most valuable part of the pods, used to produce locust bean gum (LBG). Carob sugars and fibers are widely used in the food industry, mainly in the form of carob powder.
Climate change and other environmental stresses demand that agriculture turn its attention to neglected or sidelined crops. Carob is a highly resilient species of tree that flourishes in arid climates, mostly in Africa and Asia. Genotypes of the carob tree demonstrate great tolerance to drought, low soil fertility, brackish water, pollution, and high temperatures (up to 50°C, or 122°F).
Carob can grow on non-arable land where no other crops can grow without significant, often unsustainable investments.
According to CarobWay CEO Udi Alroy, "The key ingredient in developing a sustainable carob crop is using advanced agri-tech knowhow to grow the trees more intensively and efficiently."
Alroy explains that currently, most carob trees are cultivated in forests, requiring intensive human labor, whereas CarobWay "optimizes the from the seedling stage through harvest, using less labor, refined irrigation, and mechanical harvesting."
Alroy says that carob could potentially be grown on 46% of the planet's surface.
The company also espouses sustainability and fair trade, and emphasizes long-term business relationships with farmers.
"Growers should get a safe, stable income as they invest in the future of food. With climate change, increasing wildfires, and diminishing water supplies, farmers are on the frontline, taking all the responsibility in the supply chain. We're going to change that, by creating a complete value chain that is beneficial to all partners involved from grove to table. We are currently establishing long-term business arrangements with global partners," Alroy says.
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