Yum sat down for a chat with Tahlia Mandie, founder of Kakadu Plum Powder Co. Seeing as Kakadu Plum has been receiving a lot of attention lately for it’s amazing amount of Vitamin C we wanted to find out more about where it comes from and how we should use it.

Yum: Please describe how Kakadu Plum powder is made.

Tahlia: Kakadu Plum is a native Australian fruit that is wildharvested by the Aboriginal People. It looks like a green plum and is rather citrus and sour in taste. Between December to March, it is picking season. The people gather and collect the fruit, and then freeze it within 24 hours to retain its Vitamin C and other antioxidant properties. For us to get it into a powder, it is dehydrated at 40 degree temperature and then milled into a powder. That simple. It is its purest form with no additives, no preservatives and absolutely nothing else. All natural superfood magical powder.

Y: How did you become aware of the superfood attributes of Kakadu Plum?

T: I asked myself, “there has to be an Australian superfood that is grown in our own backyard”. I knew the essence of the ‘bush tucker medicine’ and that the Aboriginal ‘bush tucker’ has been used for centuries and considered a gift from the Dreamtime. When I researched Kakadu Plum I began reading publications, stories and Aboriginal tributes to the amazing magic of Kakadu Plum. I then pieced all the puzzle pieces together, met with people in the Kakadu Plum industry and the Australian Native Food Industry, attended conferences and began speaking to Aboriginal Elders. It all just made sense and I knew I had to try and make a difference for not only the Kakadu Plum Industry, but the Australian native food industry as whole. It is so magical and beautiful, and it needs all the support it can get to continue to grow and sustain the industry.

Y: Have you always been interested in the power of food to improve your wellbeing?

T: As a mum to two young children, I have become more and more aware and conscious of the food and health choices I make for myself and my family. It is so important to me that my children know where vegetables come from, and not just from the supermarket, and that we need to nourish our body with good foods, reduce sugar and make healthy choices. They see my husband and I regularly in our gym gear and constantly ask “what did you do at gym”. What we fuel our body with is so important. When my children eat too much dairy, I see dramatic differences in their behaviour and body. We eat salad everyday, including my children. We are so blessed to have such amazing fresh fruit and produce in Australia that gives us endless choices as to how we use it. Although I believe wellbeing is a holistic approach of mind, body and spirit, food is power.

Y: Whats the best recipe for using Kakadu Plum?

T: I use Kakadu Plum Powder every day in my smoothies. It is simple, quick and easy. But there are so many possibilities of how you use it – in salad, in salad dressing, protein balls, breakfast bowls, yogurt and fruit. You are only limited by how creative you want to be. If you know how to make your own facemask, it is also fabulous for the skin.

Y: What does 2016 have in store for you?

T: Because it is picking season at the moment, we are getting more and more enquiries from landowners, retailers and stockists, in Australia and International. It is really exciting to see and hear the buzz of Kakadu Plum increase, where more and more people are wanting to enjoy Kakadu Plum. Twelve to eighteen months ago, the ordinary Australian didn’t know what it was. We want everyone to know what Kakadu Plum is. Our mission is to make a difference to the Aboriginal communities and help them in any way we can to grow and sustain what they already love doing. And who knows…. We may just think about a few other fabulous native blends and ideas while we are at it.

Kakadu Plum Powder – Australia’s native superfood – Kakadu Plum Co.

The Kakadu Plum is Australia’s own ‘bush tucker’ superfood, 100% natural and wild harvested by the Australian Aboriginal People. The Kakadu Plum is known to have the highest natural source of vitamin C, up to 100 times the vitamin c to oranges. Full of incredible antioxidants, Kakadu Plum Powder can be enjoyed in smoothies, breakfast bowls and protein balls. You are only limited by your creativity.

By choosing Kakadu Plum Co. you are supporting Aboriginal Indigenous communities in the Kimberly Region of Western Australia to help them grow and sustain something they have been doing for centuries. Kakadu Plum is Australia’s native superfood grown in our own backyard.

Available online and in stores across Australia.

Enquiries: tahlia@kakaduplumco.com

Instagram: @kakaduplumco

Web: www.kakaduplumco.com