The lead aspect of a brand new plant-based emblem pairs with espresso in milk shape, can upload vitamin to ramen, and is claimed to be extra sustainable than different choice proteins — however you’ve most likely by no means heard of it.
The celebrity of WhatIf’s product portfolio is what it calls the BamNut, or bambara nut, a legume local to Africa. Meals scientists have pitched it lately as an underutilized crop that may lend a hand fortify international vitamin ranges. The bambara nut comprises better-for-you attributes together with a just about 24% protein content material, 5.5% fiber and it’s wealthy in minerals.
Its style, in line with WhatIf co-founder and CEO Christoph Langwallner, will also be described as nutty or earthy.
“It isn’t almond, it’s not soy, it’s BamNutty,” mentioned Langwallner.
WhatIf Meals’ headquarters is in Singapore, its factories are in Malaysia and Australia and its BamNuts are sourced from Ghana. Final month, it opened an place of business in Los Angeles, because it introduced its first two merchandise within the U.S. — BamNut Noodles and BamNut Milk — on its website online. The corporate instructed Meals Dive it’s finalizing the logistics of rolling the goods out to very large retail chains and foodservice suppliers within the coming months.
WhatIf didn’t first of all plan to supply meals. It as a substitute began as a science incubator in Singapore in 2014, in line with Langwallner, and studied how biodiversity will also be introduced again into meals. Langwallner, who hails from Austria, first discovered in regards to the bambara nut years previous when he met a professor from the College of Nottingham who referred to it as one of the vital “plants of the long run” and one that may grow to be a staple.
“We’re redesigning, seeking to carry again biodiversity no longer simplest certain for farmers to be wholesome and resilient, but additionally carry extra colours and textures at the plates of shoppers and be a part of that adventure for a different vitamin,” Langwallner mentioned.
The identify of the corporate took place after Langwallner and his crew requested themselves “what if” questions, akin to “What if lets give you the chance to make fast noodles, shakes, soups and plant founded milk wholesome?” Together with all of its meals being plant-based, WhatIf makes use of the word “planet-based” to explain its technique of the use of regenerative agriculture to develop its components along side its pledge to keep away from synthetic components.
Tackling the ramen area has been a vital enterprise for the corporate, because it received era that allowed the noodles to be cooked thru air-frying with out requiring any deep frying, which different manufacturers use of their production procedure. Its ramen types come with BamNut, moringa, pumpkin and charcoal.
Consistent with Langwallner, WhatIf’s ramen in reality has an extended shelf lifestyles than standard ramen as a result of its air-frying era, which is patented via the corporate.
“The proscribing issue of fast noodles to offer a shelf lifestyles is in reality rancidity and that’s led to via deep frying, and because we do not deep fry, our ramen has an extended shelf lifestyles.”
WhatIf says its ramen supplies a more healthy choice in an area ruled via deep-fried fast noodles, because the bambara nut provides protein and vitamin. The ramen has thrice extra nutritional fiber than typical choices, in line with the corporate.
Non-compulsory Caption
Courtesy of WhatIf Meals
New spaces for the bambara nut
Simply as WhatIf has used the bambara nut to fortify upon ramen, it has additionally attempted to make a greater plant-based milk. As different plant-based milks flooded the marketplace, WhatIf labored to absolute best and simplify the recipe for BamNut Milk, condensing it to a couple of components: water, Bambara nuts, coconut oil, shea butter and added nutrients. The milk is to be had in 3 types: On a regular basis, Barista (designed to pair with espresso), and Ethereal. The latter is a lighter model that the corporate mentioned pairs neatly with smoothies or bubble tea. The beverage has a nuttier style than different plant-based milk choices, in line with Whatif.
The product additionally has a shorter aspect checklist than many different plant-based milks, in line with the corporate.
“Should you take a look at many different merchandise out there available in the market, those externalizing thicknesses and starches and so on, we keep away from over-engineering the goods and use the old-fashioned of constructing it occur,” Langwallner mentioned.
Because it continues its U.S. release, WhatIf isn’t simply hoping to persuade shoppers to make sustainability a focal point in their vitamin, but additionally capitalize on the more youthful generations who already do. In a weblog put up, the corporate mentioned the bambara nut is a sustainable crop as it has the possible to seize nitrogen from the ambience and convert it into nitrogen compounds within the soil. One gram of protein from bambara nuts takes simplest one-tenth of the water required to acquire one gram of protein from livestock, in line with WhatIf.
The objective client for WhatIf is millennials and Gen Z who care about local weather trade, however a lot of who really feel powerless about methods to curb it as a shopper — one thing the corporate hopes to modify. It plans to promote it to younger other folks thru influencers on social media to unfold its message and build up consciousness of the BamNut.
“The whole lot that we do is for this era this is disenfranchised, doesn’t have energy but and principally has an enormous anxiousness degree for the reason that local weather is converting and they may be able to’t do anything else about it,” Langwallner mentioned.
Regardless of first of all debuting with ramen and milk, WhatIf has greater ambitions. Because the bambara nut is new to the U.S. marketplace, Langwallner mentioned there are lots of alternatives for its software in several areas within the meals trade. And the corporate hopes to persuade a enlargement in trade call for for the bambara nut.
“My ambition isn’t considered one of a smallish corporate,” Langwallner mentioned. “My ambition is to create as huge as we most likely can take it, into the loads of hundreds of metric heaps of uncooked subject material, as a result of then the bambara nut turns into a scientific crop for plenty of and no longer only some.”
