Mesquite could be the next ‘diamond rush’ for the Northern Cape

In the small town of Prieska, along the banks of the Orange River, a unique product is being harvested that could revolutionise health and coffee habits worldwide.

Mesquite coffee, made from the seedpods of the thorny mesquite tree, may become the Northern Cape’s next big discovery.

South African entrepreneur Brandt Coetzee found that roasting the mesquite seedpods enhances their caramel-like flavour, creating a low-GI, coffee-like drink. This brew provides an energy boost without the caffeine-related side effects.

The mesquite tree, however, is an invasive species that has caused significant challenges in the region since the 19th century. It has spread across more than 8 million hectares of farmland in the Northern Cape, threatening the environment and straining water resources. While farmers battle the tree’s negative impact, its seedpods may hold the key to transforming this problem into an opportunity.

For the past 26 years, two brothers, Aam and Brandt Coetzee have been researching the health and nutritional benefits of the Mesquite tree.

“In 1996, Minister Kader Asmal launched the ‘Working for water campaign’ nationally and I was living in Prieska,” Brandt Coetzee recalls.

“The infestation of mesquite trees, which is alien vegetation plays a major role in depleting water resources. This led me to researching how we can try to reduce their spread in a way that would also benefit the local economy”.

Mesquite powder is considered a superfood as scientists and researchers have discovered its unique restorative benefits for diabetes by regeneration of beta cells in the pancreas, which is vital for diabetics.

The pods produce a powder that can lower the glycemic index of any food that it is added to, meaning that anyone on a low GI diet can still consume carbohydrates. They simply have to add a sprinkling of mesquite powder to the meal.

The brothers started producing pure mesquite powder in supplement form, for blood sugar support, helping diabetics to lower their blood sugar levels.

In 2020, Brandt Coetzee decided to experiment with roasting the pods for a coffee-like brew. They designed a convection oven for dry roasting the pods and after much brewing and sipping, MannaBrew’s Mesquite Superfood Coffee was created.

“Traditionally mesquite trees have been harvested for their wood. I had a furniture export business that was exporting furniture made from mesquite wood to the United States, however, with the rand being strong against the US dollar, it was no longer profitable for the importers to import our products. That’s when I started looking at alternative ways to utilise the mesquite trees,” Brandt Coetzee explains.

There is a small window of about two to three weeks for harvesters to collect a year’s supply of the mesquite seedpods before the summer rains start to fall. Due to the thorny nature of the trees, the pods have to have fallen off the tree so that the sugar content is correct, meaning that they have to be manually harvested.

When the pods fall they need to be harvested immediately. If they become wet the beans ferment, which can cause aflotoxins.

The pods are sorted by hand to ensure they are of the highest quality, before being weighed, put into bags, and transported to Somerset West for roasting.

The manual harvesting of the pods creates employment opportunities for more than 1,000 workers in the poverty-stricken Northern Cape, where only 36% of the population is employed.

“Currently we harvest 50 - 60 tons per year, however, we would be able to harvest up to 400 000 tons of Mesquite powder per season if the demand increased, making a huge impact on the environment and creating many more job opportunities”.

IOL Lifestyle