Alland & Robert’s acacia gum set to conquer the French e-market with its first B2C launch

01 Feb 2022 — Natural ingredient maker Alland & Robert has launched its ethically produced acacia gum – also known as gum arabic – for online consumers in France. Acacia gum comes from the variety of acacia trees in Senegal and is intended for home cooks, who can use it as an emulsifier, vegan stabilizer or to add fiber to their diet.

The move represents Alland & Robert’s first product launch aimed at private consumers, indicating a potential shift in the company’s focus.

Anne-Sophie Alland, Head of Strategy and Development at Alland & Robert says NutritionInsight the product holds great promise in the market for private consumers and is on the rise in the market, especially as more and more people stay at home and experiment with healthy cooking.

She says it has multiple functional properties, with Alland & Robert calling the ingredient a vegan “prebiotic fiber” that can support gut health and “improve the nutrient profile” of recipes it’s added to.

The ingredient is neither resin nor sap but a unique substance derived from acacia trees.Alland informs that the properties of acacia gum respond to recent consumer demands, such as those for vegan, sustainable, natural and organic products. She notes that people are looking for healthy, natural ingredients and that vegan and vegetarian diets benefit from including acacia gum in their diet.

Acacia gum: a vital sector for local communities
Alland & Robert’s acacia gum is grown and harvested in the Sahel region of Africa, which Alland says is the best region in the world to produce gum.

“Acacia gum can only be harvested under specific climatic and soil conditions, which are only optimal in the African Sahel,” she says. Alland & Robert sources mainly from producers in Chad, Mali, Sudan and Senegal.

According to Alland, the harvesting and production of gum acacia is central to the livelihoods of millions of people in the region. The production of acacia gum is also very sustainable, its trees requiring few resources to cultivate.

“Acacia gum is well known in the Sahel and its harvest is expected to increase the incomes of at least 6 million people. Because acacia gum grows naturally on wild acacia trees, it is not an agricultural product that requires seeds or water. Gatherers usually live close to trees, collect the gum, collect it in their villages and sell it collectively in the markets.

The suppliers from which Alland & Robert sources its raw materials vary from country to country. “There are a few cooperatives that we buy from, but most of the time we work with local suppliers who buy the raw materials directly from the pickers.

Traditional uses of acacia gum
Alland explains that the ingredient has been traditionally used by people in the Sahel for a long time and that more and more uses are being discovered for this product.

“There are reports that acacia gum has been a food resource in Africa since the Stone Age, but it was probably also used in paint, as an adhesive, or as medicine. Applications of acaciaAlland says the ingredient has been used traditionally by locals long before it became popular in the cosmetics and food industry. the gum then multiplied over time, especially as a cosmetic and food ingredient,” she explains.

“Today, its industrial applications are numerous. We have made acacia gum available to consumers because some of these applications are very useful in home cooking: improve texture, add fiber content, improve mouthfeel, help decrease sugar content or replace the eggs.

However, Alland says the product is not as well known to private consumers outside of the Sahel, and that Alland & Robert and similar manufacturers are still responsible for informing the public about the uses of the product.

Alland & Robert’s corporate responsibility
“For years, Alland & Robert has supported projects that help prevent land degradation in the Sahel and protect communities that live off tree products.

“Last year, Alland & Robert created a company foundation dedicated to supporting communities and preserving the Sahelian environment.

By Olivia Nelson

This feature is provided by FoodIngredientsFirstsister site of, NutritionInsight.

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