Healthy delights from Tanzania meet world-class quality Part 2

If you are a smart foodie in Africa, you may understand why I went potty over Irente Delis’ whole oat bars in Dar-es Salaam, and have to broadcast it in this second series of natural goodies available in Tanzania. See part one here.

The organic, nutritionally-dense bars are unique to the region, and made up of East African earthy goodness: local peanuts, baobab flour, fresh coconuts, bananas and dates, created by Austrian Johanna Omere.

Johanna fell in love with Tanzania and refused an out-of-country career promotion to stay there with her family. For her new venture , she applied her holistic background to establish a brilliant line of high quality snacks.

“There is such a richness of wonderful and fresh ingredients here,” she says. “And still so many so called super foods are exported and processed abroad.”

Irente’s goals, says Johanna, are: to create healthy snacks for Tanzania using local raw materials; support the people in our village, and avoid long transport chains that use up precious resources.

Super snacks for East Africa

Irente Delis offers more than 15 treats, including their best-selling slow roasted granola infused with cinnamon, and sweetened with fresh ground coconut and dried fruits.

Fans also love the choco peanuts and choco cashew nuts, which are next on my list.

What I would love too, is to experience Johanna’s home made meals at Irente Chalet Lushoto, their guest house in the Usambara Mountains.

For now, the next best option is to order online or purchase in person from Oyster Bay Delis store in Dar-es Salaam.

Improving quality of life for Tanzanian children

Up in the chalet where Irente’s products are made, new mothers are employed to work in the bakery and trained to grow their skills set.

The initiative is in collaboration with Mtoto Wa Tanzania NGO, and reflects Johanna’s holistic approach to business, something much needed in East Africa.

These mothers love their work, says Johanna. Because they can bring their children to the Chalet’s day care, they are reluctant to leave and often stay late in the evenings to complete the day’s work.

Make your own healthy treats as well

If you aren’t able to access high quality snacks in your area, try not to reach for unhealthy store bought stuff and experiment with making your own.

A very simple and delicious, guilt-free recipe is Shawna Barker’s Chocolate Avocado Pudding (click on image below to see a larger version). Shawna is registered holistic nutritionist in Vancouver, BC, and an amazing raw foods chef.

I usually add more cocoa and orange to make it extra chocolate-y and smooth! Click here for more recipes from Shawna.