After Fedell Solomon's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, five years ago, the need for more organic products arose, as it was recommended that she should limit the amount of processed foods she ate.
But the challenge was most available foods were processed and are filled with ingredients that are troublesome to pronounce.
Solomon and his wife Nabilah first made moringa powder, to make tea, and from there Nabdell Enterprise Ltd was born. He added with a smile that he joined their names together to come up with the product name – Nabdell.
“We started doing those (moringa powder) in small pill capsules for my mum, and when she would go for her chemotherapy, she would carry for her friends, and that is how Nabdell started.”
Moringa, a plant that is native to India, is used extensively in south and south east Asia for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while in TT, there is a Caribbean moringa festival which made its debut in 2017 at the UTT Research Centre, Waterloo.
After that, the couple’s business grew as people began to realise how important eating healthily and using strictly organic products have become. Seeing the demand rise, they delved into producing different herb mixtures and seasonings before getting their hands into the mix of alternatives to wheat flours.
“We then decided that working in cassava and sweet-potato flour might be difficult, so we made mixes like pancake and tortilla-wrap flour mixes derived from those alternative flours, so all you need to do is add one ingredient – water or milk.”
The innovation did not stop there, as the Solomons recently launched a curry-powder mix, which they introduced to consumers at the National Entrepreneurship Development Co (NEDCO) market at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya on August 2.
[caption id="attachment_1030764" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Some of the Nabdell products on display at the NEDCO Youth Conference on August 4. - ANISTO ALVES[/caption]
“All of the ingredients, like the turmeric and curry leaves, are manufactured by Nabdell Enterprise. We do a range of products from beetroot, turmeric, ginger, moringa, kale, papaya, carrot, and other vegetables, all in powder form.”
The Piparo-based company sources all its ingredients locally. Solomon said they even have their own little plantation where they grow their own vegetables. But once demand outweighs the plantation, they outsource within the community and from wholesale farmers when needed.
“We pride ourselves in manufacturing using local produce to make our products.”
Solomon then explained the creation process: "Each product – based on the moisture content of it – will take different times. So for example, to process cassava flour, one batch will take approximately 12 hours, as opposed to beetroot, that will take 48. Different produce take different times to dehydrate.”
They use commercial dehydrators which can produce 100 pounds of each product at a time.
“We already need upscaling, based on the demand of the market, so we are forever growing, b
