{"id":36380,"date":"2024-10-30T09:37:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T07:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/?p=36380"},"modified":"2024-11-12T15:44:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T13:44:07","slug":"the-sweet-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2024\/10\/30\/the-sweet-side\/","title":{"rendered":"The sweet side"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the North Coast, we\u2019re surrounded by cane fields, most of which produce sugar. But one farm is making something a little less well-known \u2013 jaggery, a traditional sweetener used widely in India. Keith McLaren is the founder and owner of SA Jaggery, a local company that\u2019s producing the product on our shores, and giving it a uniquely South African twist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT EXACTLY IS JAGGERY?<\/strong>
\n\"\"Jaggery is a natural, unrefined sweetener made from sugarcane juice. Unlike regular sugar, jaggery retains all its natural nutrients because it doesn\u2019t go through the rigorous refining process that strips away the good stuff. It\u2019s rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium and it has a deep, molasses-like flavour. Think of it as sugar\u2019s more wholesome, earthy cousin.<\/p>\n

POSITIVE CHANGE<\/strong>
\nKeith\u2019s 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\u2019t afford to get their cane to the mills. Keith decided to step in and change the game.
\nHe 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\u2019t there before.<\/p>\n

LEARNING FROM THE MASTERS<\/strong>
\nBefore starting the company, Keith\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Above: Graham Pye (head of technical and operations); Deryn Burns (head of marketing); Joel Moonsamy (production supervisor); and Keith McLaren (founder and owner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast forward to today, and SA Jaggery’s plant is up and running, and interest in the product is steadily growing. It\u2019s a process that\u2019s been years in the making, with plenty of trial and error along the way.<\/p>\n

A HEALTHIER CHOICE<\/strong>
\nJaggery is unrefined, and with all its molasses and nutrients intact, offers a slow-release energy that doesn\u2019t spike blood sugar levels like regular sugar does. Despite being a new player in the sweetener market, it\u2019s already catching the eye of local restaurants, coffee shops and heath stores on the North Coast.
\n\"\"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.
\nDetails:<\/strong> www.sajaggery.com<\/a>; 084 539 9860; derynraeburns@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Text:<\/strong> Jennifer Campbell Photographs:<\/strong> @Steveburnsphotography<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the North Coast, we\u2019re surrounded by cane fields, most of which produce sugar. But one farm is making something a little less well-known \u2013 jaggery, a traditional sweetener used widely in India. Keith McLaren is the founder and owner of SA Jaggery, a local company that\u2019s producing the product on our shores, and giving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":36381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,479,20],"tags":[11549,11551,8283,11511,11550],"class_list":{"0":"post-36380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle","8":"category-people","9":"category-personalities","10":"tag-jaggery","11":"tag-molasses","12":"tag-nutrients","13":"tag-sugar","14":"tag-sweetner"},"yoast_head":"\nThe sweet side - Get It Ballito & Umhlanga<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2024\/10\/30\/the-sweet-side\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The sweet side - Get It Ballito & Umhlanga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On the North Coast, we\u2019re surrounded by cane fields, most of which produce sugar. 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