Khaya Cookies: Cookies with a Conscience

Stay tuned for our Blog..Khaya Cookies - The Triple Bottom Line - Valentine's Day, Helping Haiti and Khaya Cookies in return..stay tuned to our blog...

Charity Case

I wanted to share something I read in Good Magazine's Fall '09 Issue. As the Founder & CEO of the Khaya Cookie Company you know that I believe STRONGLY in hand-ups and not hand-outs. I'm not alone out there.  Have a read of Dambisa Moyo's  book Dead Aid .

You can find the full article in Good's (I love this Magazine) Fall '09 Issue but here are some tidbits for you to take away, "We love to take care of Africa. But does Africa need more taking care of?

Since 1960, Africa has received more than $1 trillion in foreign aid, and by many measures, its people aren't better off.  Of course, if an old white man were to argue that perhaps that trillion has done more than good, it would be easy to write off his opinion. To hear that same opinion from the mouth of Dambisa Moyo, however, casts it in a whole different light.

Moyo, the author if Dead Aid, was born in Zambia, educated at Harvard and Oxford, and has worked at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs.  So when she says that there are better solutions to African poverty than simply throwing money at, it's worth listening to her."

Have a read of this book. You can get it here .

Leave your comments here and let me know what you think. Would love to hear from you.

Best,

Alicia

NEED Magazines 2009 Gift Guide - Check Out All the Great Gifts That Create Opportunity

Holidays are the time to give and we have a site for you to check out: NEED MAGAZINE   just came out with their 2009 Gift Giving Guide.  Khaya Cookies are one of the featured gifts but check out all the other great companies that are helping create opportunity too!

There are some great low cost gifts to give that will help make the holidays a bit brighter for those less fortunate than us.

Warmest wishes,

The Khaya Cookie Team

Wharton Conference on Africa November 7th-8th Philadelphia, PA

 

Thought you would all like to know about the Wharton Africa Business Forum Conference this weekend.  I know the Organizers of the event and it promises to be an informative one. The Wharton Africa Forum will be an interesting Forum.  Of course, Khaya Cookies will be a featured snack.

Here is a bit more information on the event:

The Wharton Africa Business Forum (WABF) is an integral component of the Wharton Global Business Forum, the pre-eminent business school event addressing the major economic, social and political trends affecting Africa, Asia, Europe, India and Latin America. Nearly 1,600 participants from around the world converge at Wharton annually to drive discussions on business issues and developments around the globe.

In its 16th year, WABF is expected to bring together nearly six hundred business leaders, policy makers, investors, professionals, academics, and students with a keen interest in Africa. The theme of the 2008 WABF is:

"Catalyst: Taking Africa from Promise to Power"
This year’s forum will address the urgent issue of what the current generation of Africans can do now in order to participate in Africa’s emergence as a global economic powerhouse, both in the African Diaspora and on the international stage. The 2008 WABF seeks to entice the emerging generation of young Africans who have been incited to action, motivated by the dawn of change, and are ready to act as a catalyst in realizing Africa’s promise.

We can no longer wait. We are intellectually gifted, starved for change, and passionate about becoming the solutions to the challenges Africa continues to face.

We will identify, create, and explore tangible and actionable opportunities through dialogue with captivating keynote speakers, an innovative array of panels, an international career fair, and our pioneering Wharton Africa Business Plan Competition which will provide valuable start-up capital as well as mentorship from esteemed leaders in private equity and venture capital.

Khaya Comes to WHOLEFOODS!

Khaya Cookies can now be purchased at Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic Division! This is all the stores from Kentucky to Pennsylvania.  If you aren't one of the folks living in those areas, you can help us by asking your local Whole Foods Grocery Team leader to carry Khaya Cookies.  That's how you can Help Create Opportunity One Bite at a Time.We'd love to meet you and our Company's Founder is coming to the U.S. to meet and greet Whole Food's Customers.  Our next demo is scheduled for (and keep an eye on this page - we'll keep it updated for you).

Monday, October 19th WholeFoods Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA
Time: 4pm - 7 pm.

We hope to see you there!

 

Africa Social Enterprise Forum - Hope you can join

I am pleased to be speaking at the Africa Social Enterprise Forum on Saturday September 26,2009 at the Desmond Tutu Center , NYC. ASEF will have at least US$4 billion social investment capital represented as well as senior executives from leading social entrepreneurship organizations. THE Forum will respond too the question raised at the Skoll Forum, Are the Only Innovations in Social Entrepreneurship Anglo-Saxon, by highlighting Africa's most innovative, world class entreprenuerial solutions.  Please visit asef2009.weebly.com to register.

Grapes, Glorious Grapes

I’ve been meeting many of you at demos at the various   stores located across Pennsylvania.  It’s been great fun to meet and talk to so many of you.   Many of you have been fascinated by our Grapeseed Shortbread.  So a few questions I promised to answer.  

 Yes, I actually really do eat our Grapeseed Shortbreads with goat cheese .

So, how did I come up with this unusual combo?   I would love to tell you this combination was borne the way of complex food wizardry or at least on the advice of our gifted food scientist Andrea.  Nope.  It went like this.  “What is in my refrigerator?” I asked myself.  I saw goat cheese.   I highly enjoy Joan of Arc’s Line of Goat Cheese’s  and you can read all about them here on the Nibble's review Next. I thought, “Hmm...wouldn’t it be nice to have some goat cheese on a nice baguette?”  Unfortunately, for me, there was no baguette, nor bread in my chateau,  however, as with Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory; my house is the equivalent with Cookies.  I thought the tangy currants and unique flavor of Khaya’s Grapeseed Shortbread would pair well with the creaminess of the goat cheese.  It did!  I started gingerly spreading the buttery goat cheese on each square of our Grapeseed shortbread and then advanced to Grapeseed Shortbread and goat cheese sandwiches.  I highly recommend this!

 

Now – let’s talk some science (we promise not to bore you!).  We took our shortbreads to the lab (yes, we do this) and ran them though a special test to find out how high they rated in antioxidants (or what is called an ORAC*) and here’s what our lab results told us.    Khaya’s Grapeseed Shortbreads have a whopping 7,723 ORACS* per box.  So what does this mean?  You can crunch on Khaya Cookies and get all those anti-oxidants. That’s the same amount of anti-oxidants that you would find in a cup of blackberries.   We love blackberries too and want you to eat lots of fruits & vegetables so we tell you this just so you have a comparison.   Yes, cookies can be good for you after all (everything in moderation, please).

Measurements based on 130 g. (4.6 oz) serving size
*Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) measures the antioxidant available to reduce harmful oxygen free

These boots are made for walking…

Last weekend, I actually ran at Hillcrest Wine Estate for the Eden Campus – New Balance Trail Run Series. I couldn’t think up of a better reason to dust off my wintery legs and run for Eden campus’ key mission: “Uplifting young persons from impoverished, rural communities through education, entrepreneurial skills and relevant work experience.”

Whether I’m running a business or running a race I find all of my adventures serve a purpose. The Khaya Cookie Company helps me fulfill that purpose throughout my professional and personal life. You all become apart of a global community by helping Khaya make huge strides for its local areas in South Africa.

I realized there are tons of events out there WORLDWIDE to walk, run, skip or work towards a great cause. Whether it’s in Cape Town or New York or in your very own Khaya – everyone is becoming active and PROactive.

So get out there and do something…Your body and heart will thank you for it.

If you don’t know where to start…here’s a good place:

http://www.achillestrackclub.org/

http://www.komennyc.org/site/TR?fr_id=1170&pg=entry

The sweeter fruits of our labour

Fruit picking is no longer limited to the "younguns" - especially when our fruity finds are the secret to our seasonal treasures. 

We hold a special place for Alison's lovely fruit farm, Tierhoek, nestled in the Noree Valley of Robertson, South Africa. This is where we leave it up to the fruit picking professionals. The workers of Tierhoek farm carefully hand select the organic apricots as one of Khaya's wholesome ingredients. In exchange for the workers' skills and expertise, Alison provides stability, pride, and purpose. From November until June a team of women from a neighbouring village, called McGregor are invited to Tierhoek farm. These women are truly the key 'ingredient' in making Tierhoek’s sulphur free dried apricots.

Tierhoek also provides opportunities for the adults with children working on the farm. Tierhoek pays 50% of their school fees and expects the parents to pay the other 50%. This may seem like a small amount, but being responsible for your childrens’ school fees, provides a huge sense of pride and integrity.

Now we think that's a pretty sweet deal all around.
Alison takes her mission and her fruit seriously. Tierhoek is a safe haven for its workers and heaven for its fruit lovers. Not only does Alison grow delicious fruit, but she also, nurtures a future of empowerment by sponsoring adult education courses in Afrikaans and English literacy and numeracy.

 

Yup, she's definitely one of the good guys. Khaya likes to source its ingredients and form socially conscious business relationships with other good guys because it only makes things much sweeter.

We heart Tierhoek and truly love tasting the juicy fruits of their labour.

Go see for yourself! Tierhoek Organic

Things We Like to Snack On (Not Even We Can Eat Cookies All Day)

We love eating Khaya Cookies. We crunch on Khaya Cookies for breakfast (try a Khaya Krunchi crumbled ontop of Greek yogurt), we love an after lunch snack of a tangy Rooibos and Cranberry Khaya Shortbread with a cup of tea and what is better for an after dinner delight than a Dark Chocolate Krunchi with an espresso?

However, man/woman cannot live on Khaya Cookies alone. So, a few of our favorite snacks at the Khaya Cookie Company (where we all eat only all-natural, preservative free snacks). 

Enjoy!

.
Sonoma Crisps Apple Sticks
I wasn't quite sure if I would enjoy these but these baked apple sticks give just the right sweetness and the cinnamon gives our taste buds an extra "zing". The best part, each of these 70 calorie bags delivers a stay satisfied dose of fiber (12% percent of your daily value)

Sea Point Farms Edamame
Look what we found in the nut aisle! This is one of our newest favorite things to Krunch on at the Khaya Cookie Co. These soybeans have an intense crunch and super salty (we like that) and here's the health low-down;  they have 8 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein per 130 calorie serving!