Despite nuts getting their time on the media stage recently (see the links below), there’s still one particular type of nut that has failed to come out of its shell. So, to honour those that remain unsung in the ‘super food’ circus, I’d like to introduce you to the cobnut.
I’ve discovered that they’re packed with vitamins, minerals and are naturally low in cholesterol, which some nuts can be very high in.
So far, cobnuts have been eaten in their natural form, with the exception of cobnut oil, which has a higher heating temperature than olive oil and is a cholesterol-free source of vitamins B and E. I’m surprised this is the only form they have taken in a super-food-hungry consumer market.
Keith Allen from Allen Farm Kent Cobnuts, is a passionate advocate for the relatively unknown hard-shelled fruit. He spoke to FoodBev.com about the potential reasons why they’re not so commonplace, but equally why it’s such a shame that their nutritious benefits are not being utilised to their full potential.
One problem Keith suggested was the difficulty in gathering quality in quantity: “We’re an organic company, which always makes things more difficult,” he says. “We can’t spray the ground with anything, so weeds and grass grow, which makes them more difficult to collect. Also, the bad nuts tend to fall first and there’s no way of knowing which ones are bad, so we have had to replace some for customers.”
Keith highlights the cobnuts’ USP in such a competitive market: “We’re the largest direct supplier to internet consumers. 100-200 years ago, it was very rare for products to maintain a high nutritional value through the winter, and to be available. These are.
“Our main customer base is sales via the internet to loyal consumers. We aim to look after them because they keep our business going. There are a lot of people who have never heard of them and the people who do keep eating them because they have a romantic or nostalgic memory attached to them. I often hear people saying to me I remember sitting and cracking them open as a child.”
It seems that the UK is slow to spot this nutritional opportunity, as other countries are already reaping the rewards.
“In Italy, it’s big business, especially incorporated into other products,” says Keith. “The business is a lot more automatic. The market demand in this country is the biggest problem for us. People want convenience, and these have to be cracked open. They taste really nice, they’re just not the easiest to eat!”
I really believe there could be a market for these to be incorporated into a beverage format. The added calcium, and a potential to reduce cholesterol in those who drink it, could be a seriously undiscovered market for these humble nuts. And perhaps more importantly from a commercial point of view, these traits make them a potential functional ingredient, which equals big bucks in the functional drinks industry.
Rebecca is editorial assistant of FoodBev.com. You can contact her here, or read her blog here.
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