28-year-old organic food company, AMBROSIA ORGANIC FARM, was the first in India to have come up with Organic Rice Cakes in 1999.

The brand also holds the distinction of being the only one to offer Millet-Based Rice Cakes (in addition to plain rice ones).

◊ By Rutaksha Rawat

Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India

Ambrosia Organic Farm Pvt Ltd was founded by Englishman David Jonathan Gower in 1993. (Read his very interesting back story).

He had noticed the lack of healthy snacking options and wanted to cater health-friendly snacks to the people of Goa.

At the time, western junk food brands had just entered India and had been eagerly embraced by the public.

First, he started an organic farm of 10-acres and starting producing lettuce and other salad vegetables on it. But after a while, he moved to health snacks.

The flagship product of Ambrosia Organic is their range of delectable, super crispy Organic Rice Cakes.

Gower’s respect for traditional Indian grains led him to come up with a range of millet-based and traditional rice cakes. These delicious rice cakes are made of wholegrain indigenous rice mixed in with jowar, bajra, ragi, etc. They make for a super healthy low-fat snack.

Ambrosia Organic is the first company in India to have come up with Millet-Based Rice Cakes. In fact, it is the first company to have come up with Rice Cakes.

In its rice cakes, Ambrosia uses only wholegrain rice.

They make sure that they use the rice grain along with its skin (and not the polished or hybrid one), in order to maintain the original taste.

The rice cakes are prepared by using at least two to three varieties of rice with the addition of millet.

The multigrain cakes come with a blend of two rice types mixed in with Amaranth, Buckwheat, Bajra (Pearl Millet), Ragi (Finger Millet) and Barnyard Millet.

The organic rice cakes became so popular that the brand has added many more organic products to its range over the years.

PRODUCT RANGE OF AMBROSIA ORGANIC FARM

Organic Quinoa Rice Cakes

Organic Multigrain Rice Cakes

Organic Amaranth Rice Cakes

Organic Spicy Rice Cakes

Organic Rice Cakes (Plain)

Organic Buckwheat Rice Cakes

Organic Ragi Rice Cakes (Organic Finger Millet Cakes)

Organic Granola (Extra Crunchy)

Organic Muesli (Plain)

Organic Honey Muesli – Gluten Free

Organic Amaranth

Organic Quinoa

Organic Buckwheat

Popped Organic Amaranth

Organic Mysoru Red Rice

Organic Jaggery Powder (Golden Sugar)

Organic Raw Sugar

Himalayan Rock Salt

Organic Peanut Butter

Mango Peanut Butter

Blueberry Peanut Butter

Wild Honey

Organic Chia Seeds

Organic Lotus Seeds

Organic Flax Seeds

Organic Sunflower Seeds

Organic Sesame Seeds

Organic Sunflower Oil

Organic Moringa Powder

Organic Turmeric

The Organic peanut butter from Ambrosia is the bestselling peanut butter in all of Goa

On July 23, 2021, Ambrosia Organic Farm introduced the world’s first mango-flavoured peanut butter. The new launch has come close on the heels of a successful foray with the brand’s Blueberry Peanut Butter

A Message For Consumers – From David Gower, Founder, Ambrosia Organic Farm

Team Ambrosia Organic Farm – David Gower (seated), John D’Mello and Michelle Keleman

Gower laments that a few consumers have not received the memo that health is wealth.

He has witnessed people alight from luxury cars such as BMWs and then enter grocery stores to purchase the cheapest refined oils available.

He believes such people are not saving money. They will pay at a later date, with interest.

They will be forced to fritter away money at clinics, pharmacies and hospitals and spend long hours in the waiting rooms of doctors.

Gower himself has not touched sugar since the year 2000.

He advises consumers to always buy organic if possible. If it’s not monetarily feasible, he says it is best to at least stick to seasonal and fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Simply stay away from sugar, refined foods, processed foods or any other kind of unnatural foods, such as hydroponic produce,” he advises.

He points out hydroponic plants are not grown in soil and are artificially fed nutrients in water—chemical nutrients.

According to him, commercial brown bread is simply tinted white bread and is best avoided, unless it is artisanal or home baked.

He also shares that brown sugar is nothing but bleached white sugar with the addition of molasses.

“I’m 71 and have never been ill because I have always eaten organic and stayed away from processed foods and sugar. I have never taken medication with the exception of antibiotics,” he vouches.

27 YEARS OF AMBROSIA ORGANIC FARM

Today, Ambrosia Organic  Farm has completed 27 years.

When the company started, Gower was a one-man army hurtling through hectic 14-hour shifts. Today, things are different.

Arduous 14-hour work shifts have eased into light supervision. And some hard-earned leisure time.

Gower now has a team of 45 on Ambrosia’s payroll, ably managed by the General Manager, John D’Mello.

Ambrosia has increased its acreage to 35, with another 95 acres belonging to 10 partner farmers from neighbouring areas.

Across India, they have a trusted network of 2,000 farmers spanning Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.

Currently, Ambrosia Organic’s 50 products are available at approximately 1,000 offline retail stores across India, covering almost all major Indian cities (Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Dehradun, Dharamshala, Bengaluru, etc).

They have 2 processing units—one in Parra, Goa, and the other at their Amboli farm.

The brand also sells its products through its website,

www.ambrosiaorganicfarm.com. Delivery is pan-India.

Although Ambrosia’s product range was planned as snacks for westerners, the domestic market has matured and local demand has long surpassed expat consumption.

The company has been growing steadily at 35-40% year-on-year, except in 2020. The pandemic has acted as a tailwind, leading to 300% growth.

Update, August 2021: Gower has retired to his home in the UK with wife Michelle Keleman, and D’Mello now runs the venture.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Online Shop: www.ambrosiaorganicfarm.com

Contact Person: John D’Mello (General Manager)

Address: 325, Bokechi Aradi, Parra Bardez, Goa-403510

Ph: +91-30 99 6666; +91-9822139967

Email: [email protected]