Roasted whole nuts, naturally sweetened grains mixed with delicious ingredients which add so much texture…doesn’t that sound like the perfect go to snack ? Then do take a look at this brand .It maybe a new entrant into the ready to eat food industry but the back end story is anything but recent . Allow me to introduce you to the Orygen brand .
Not long ago, looking for a well made granola meant buying imported products off the rack or having to stock up while shopping abroad. This involves planning , spending more money and also contributes to one’s carbon foot print . The idea of eating foods which are low on preservatives, made with ingredients available locally and which are manufactured in the same country as we live in are beginning to make more sense to holistic living.
That same sensibility towards manufacturing food products has given rise to new entrepreneurs who have entered the food market. What is obvious about these new entrants into the food business is their passion to provide healthy products which taste delicious and offer nutritional benefits ,in the right manner.
Orygen was born with the same concept of wanting to offer great food products for the Indian market. We do come from a culture of eating rice based staples for our daily meals. The founder of Orygen, Siddharth grew up in the same manner ,eating nourshing home cooked meals, turned out every day by his mother. A decade ago when he had to venture out to another city ,one of the greatest challenges he faced was when it came to eating healthy. Food and fitness as we all know ,was very different 10 years ago to what it is today.
When he found himself having to make compromised choices regarding food ,it got Siddharth thinking. It is rightly said that necessity is the mother of invention. In order to follow this path, he decided to first get the right grounding by way of a formal education in “Food Safety & Nutrition Management” and “Innovation & New Product Development” at the University of Surrey. The story goes that once he began to understand the nuances of how to turn healthy ingredients into easy to eat foods, he began experimenting with energy bars and granola.
As Indians we have aceess to a vast network of friends and family who we can rely on for that authentic feedback. The response from people who tried out his products was great ,with people asking for more. This is what prompted him to starting this venture ,which is focused completely on making “wholesome and meaningful” food for the active Indian.
A chat with Siddharth helped in understanding this deep rooted intention further. He is also emphatic in stating that this is not just for a sportsperson or fitness freak but for anyone who leads an active lifestyle. The human body needs adequate fortifying throughout the day. So rather than look at this as a meal replacement option, he considers the granola and the bars as something which can be eaten at any time of the day. Pop a few spoons of granola into a small snack box and you have a delicious snack on the go.
The words which are prominently mentioned on the granola packets are; “All natural , high fibre, protein rich”. It is obvious that Siddharth is brimming with ideas for delicious products because Orygen has launched not one or two but 6 different kinds of granola.
Let me first tell you what the different kinds are before elaborating further. There is , CLASSIC ORIGINAL, HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE ,DARK CHOCOLATE & CHERRY , RICH PEANUT BUTTER and BUTTER WALNUT. These come under the category of ‘Artisan Granola.’ The sixth is a COCONUT ALMOND CHEW. True to its name the coconut and almond have a chewy texture very similar to that of a chewy coconut sweet. I told Siddharth that I am not a fan of coconut other than in fresh form but I must admit that the Coconut Almond Chew is so delicious and I did find myself happily snacking away on a helping of this through the week. We got to taste 4 kinds of granola out of the 6.
Each of the Artisan granolas are unique in their own way. The hazelnut chocolate has an intense flavour and texture of chocolate and goes great when eaten as a meal with cold milk. The use of good quality cocoa is generous and lends a very rich taste along with the bits of hazelnut. The classic original with whole almonds is chunky and so good to eat . A fistful of this is perfect for those small hunger pangs which tend to show up during the day. Store these in a pretty glass jar and it makes for a great reminder to get in some of that protein goodness in small bites at least once a day.
The butter walnut is completely different to any other granola I have tasted before. The walnuts are toasted to their crunchy best. The natural taste of the walnuts have not been masked at all so there is some of that natural aftertaste ;a very mild bitterness as is the case with some walnuts which just proves that they haven’t been tampered with. It is essential for the taste buds to get rounded flavours rather than be completely overwhelmed with the sweet.
The rich buttery taste is really obvious in a very pleasing way ,not at all overpowering. I read the ingredients and was pleasantly surprised to note that it is mentioned as “grass fed butter”…that’s how in-depth the ingredient sourcing is. It is great to finally have Indian food manufacturers who are aware of adding the kind of ingredients where the story goes further, to the beginning of the ingredient food chain.
The labels also talk about bee honey, coconut milk, raw cane sugar , cinnamon and vanilla. Currently ,oats does form a large part of the granola. Siddharth says he is constantly learning more about Indian cereals to start incorporating them into future Orygen products.
“A bowl of excellence” is how he describes the products, on each of the cartons.
The other line up of products are the Artisan energy bars. Siddharth admits to being a foodie .The taste combinations in these energy bars must first find approval to his palate before going into production. He does seem to enjoy texture a great deal as is obvious in the liberal use of seeds, whole grains and nuts. Pumpkin , chia ,sesame ,sunflower , watermelon and poppy seeds are used in the right blend to get that tasty crunch which is well liked by all.
The bars are soft and chewy so one does get to enjoy the mouth feel a little longer than when eating a dry bar. There is a conscious thought to avoid refined sugar. Honey and raw cane sugars are the natural sweeteners used along with the sweetness brought in from the dried fruits like cranberries, cherries and black raisins.
Customers have the following to choose from; cranberry cashew and almond bliss , choco cherry and almond butter rush, seed and honey crumble, cashew butter and quinoa crunch. We did lean more towards the seed & honey crumble and the cashew butter quinoa but one can’t find fault as the other flavours taste good too.
Since we had some time to taste and get a feel for the products, we came up with other ways to use it , in desserts. It’s not that it hasn’t been done before but a granola has to have the right mix of flavours to taste good when adding to a dessert. A quick blitz of the CLASSIC ORIGINAL was just right to use as a topping for a strawberry crumble. We served it as a light dessert after lunch and the crumble did get sound approval from all. It’s also great to add texture to home baked cookies or just scattered over a chocolate cake frosting ; so many possibilities.
Siddharth tells me that they also have a line of protein bars .We look forward to tasting those soon.
The brand’s USP lies in not in their choice of flavours but in a process which they implement for all their products.On the boxes it is clearly printed , “activated seeds and nuts”.I wasn’t sure what this was .Siddharth went on to elaborate that it is a process which involves soaking the nuts and seeds beforehand. He says the reason for doing that is because it helps in greater absorption and bio availability of the nutrients. In his words,” They get rid of enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid which are detrimental for proper digestion and absorption”. Health of the body does depend on how food gets assimilated in the gut. It is impressive to see a brand care so much about manufacturing a healthy product.
All of these products can be ordered directly from the Orygen website. Siddharth has refrained from selling in supermarkets given the current state of the pandemic. The boxes come with a QR code which gives you more info on Orygen. The vibrant packaging showcases the different colours of the food chain in an extremely eye catching manner.
Siddharth also wants to start thinking along the lines of introducing seasonal ingredients in his products. There’s a whole range of fantastic produce in our country which is yet to be understood for its amazing health benefits and nutritional advantages. After our talk ,I am inclined to believe that the team at Orygen are working hard to bring out products which don’t compromise on quality.
More power to them !
Link to Orygen website
https://orygen.in/categories.php
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