On the North Coast, we’re surrounded by cane fields, most of which produce sugar. But one farm is making something a little less well-known – jaggery, a traditional sweetener used widely in India. Keith McLaren is the founder and owner of SA Jaggery, a local company that’s producing the product on our shores, and giving it a uniquely South African twist.
WHAT EXACTLY IS JAGGERY?
Jaggery is a natural, unrefined sweetener made from sugarcane juice. Unlike regular sugar, jaggery retains all its natural nutrients because it doesn’t go through the rigorous refining process that strips away the good stuff. It’s rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium and it has a deep, molasses-like flavour. Think of it as sugar’s more wholesome, earthy cousin.
POSITIVE CHANGE
Keith’s journey into the world of jaggery began with a mission to uplift. Having grown up on a sugarcane farm, he saw an opportunity to support the micro-farmers in Zululand who were struggling to get by. These farmers, with small plots of sugarcane, were finding it difficult to make a living because they couldn’t afford to get their cane to the mills. Keith decided to step in and change the game.
He teaches emerging farmers how to grow sugarcane organically and provides them with the necessary training and resources to run sustainable businesses. In return, he purchases a portion of their harvest to produce jaggery. Once the jaggery is made, these farmers are welcome to sell some of it themselves, creating an additional sustainable income source that wasn’t there before.
LEARNING FROM THE MASTERS
Before starting the company, Keith’s dedication to authenticity took him all the way to India, where he learned the traditional jaggery-making process from local experts. With the knowledge in hand, he returned home, where he and his team set about building the first-ever organic jaggery production plant in the country.
Fast forward to today, and SA Jaggery’s plant is up and running, and interest in the product is steadily growing. It’s a process that’s been years in the making, with plenty of trial and error along the way.
A HEALTHIER CHOICE
Jaggery is unrefined, and with all its molasses and nutrients intact, offers a slow-release energy that doesn’t spike blood sugar levels like regular sugar does. Despite being a new player in the sweetener market, it’s already catching the eye of local restaurants, coffee shops and heath stores on the North Coast.
The team would love to expand and potentially even franchise their jaggery production model to other African countries. The goal? To create more jobs, uplift more communities, and spread the word about this unrefined alternative to sugar.
Details: www.sajaggery.com; 084 539 9860; derynraeburns@gmail.com
Text: Jennifer Campbell Photographs: @Steveburnsphotography
