Supplier of organic and non-GMO ingredients, Terra Ingredients is entering into a partnership with IYA Foods, a US food business known for specializing in foods and flavors inspired by its African roots. IYA Foods has launched a new rice flour alternative, fonio flour, made with 100 percent Terra-provided fonio from West Africa. The partnership aims to “take the supergrain mainstream.”

Fonio flour is a plant-based, gluten-free and non-GMO flour substitute with a higher nutritional value. Being the smallest seed of all millet species, fonio is known as being an extremely versatile ancient grain that has been cultivated and consumed for centuries in West Africa.

The partnership between IYA Foods and Terra Ingredients will ultimately include the launch of multiple co-branded products. Currently working together to incorporate fonio into all of IYA Food’s standard flours and baking mixes, the duo anticipates reinventing traditional household staples in a familiar and instinctive fashion. 

Supplying the “supergrain”
Terra Ingredients, which claims to be the only company able to supply fonio at a significant volume and scale, welcomes the IYA Foods partnership. 

“At Terra Ingredients, we seek to partner up with dynamic, well-run food companies to introduce fonio to US households while still valuing the origins of the grain and promoting sustainable agriculture,” says Malick Diedhiou who manages Terra’s brand partnerships.

According to Toyin Kolawole, CEO and Founder of IYA Foods, the brand started as a labor of love to provide exciting new ways for her family to eat healthy and facilitate positive experiences about different cultures. “I tapped into my African heritage to find foods that provide great tasting nourishment to individuals looking for healthier options. Given Terra’s unmatched dedication to retaining the nutritional integrity of their ingredients, we are thrilled to partner and offer fonio to US consumers.”

“We look forward to working with IYA Foods on making fonio more widely accessible to health-conscious consumers across the US. Terra and IYA share a common goal of creating positive social impact through tasty and nutritious food,” concludes Diedhiou. 

Last November, UK health food brand Aduna introduced fonio describing it as a fast-growing and drought-resistant ancient grain which could be the “new quinoa.”