New Year, New Ingredients: A Journey Through Heritage and Health
We tell ourselves stories about fresh starts, about clean slates and clean eating, about the arbitrary demarcation of time that somehow makes January different from December. At Topi Ventures, we believe that embracing new beginnings means setting intentions and deepening our connection to food that tells a story of resilience, heritage, and health. This year, we invite you to expand your culinary horizons with ingredients that nourish both body and spirit.
Take fonio, for example — a grain that’s ancient yet unfamiliar to most American kitchens, like a secret finally revealed. Yolele has introduced it to modern pantries, but fonio has been a staple in West African homes for generations. Its nutty flavor and couscous-like texture are only part of the appeal. Drought-resistant, quick-growing, and nutrient-dense, fonio is a quiet hero in the conversation about climate-conscious eating. As you stir it in the pot and watch the grains bloom, you can almost sense the wisdom of the land from which it comes — sun-soaked fields where tradition and sustenance intertwine. (Photos below from the Yolele website)
CHi Foods transforms another ancient ingredient — Sacha Inchi seeds — into a modern marvel of plant-based innovation. Once a vital protein source for Amazonian communities, these nutrient-rich seeds have become the foundation for their ground meat alternative. It’s not just plant-based; it’s rooted in history. Earthy, umami-rich, and packed with protein, it’s a reminder that progress doesn’t always mean new inventions. Sometimes, it means rediscovery — taking what’s been sustaining communities for centuries and adapting it for today’s kitchens. (Photos below from the CHi Foods website)
Baobab, often called the “Tree of Life,” offers another invitation to reconnect with the past. Baobest has reimagined this nutrient powerhouse as BaoBites — chewy fruit cubes that deliver bursts of tangy sweetness without the overpowering punch of processed snacks. Each bite whispers of ancient branches that have witnessed countless generations. Rich in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, baobab nourishes from the inside out while giving us a taste of something timeless.
Then there’s jackfruit — often compared to pulled pork, though its story runs deeper. The Jackfruit Company makes this tropical wonder accessible for home cooks who might otherwise be intimidated by its formidable size and spiky exterior. In their ready-to-cook packages, jackfruit becomes a versatile canvas, absorbing sauces while maintaining a hearty texture. Its appeal isn’t just in its versatility; it’s in its legacy as a sustainable crop that’s fed communities for centuries.
Moringa and teff round out this collection of rediscoveries. Moringa’s leaves, with their subtle spice, brew into a nutrient-rich tea, while teff — the foundation of Ethiopian injera — offers a glimpse into a culinary history that spans millennia. These ingredients aren’t just functional; they’re cultural archives, carrying stories of sustenance, community, and resilience.
The clean eating movement of 2025 isn't about restriction or rejection. It's about expansion, about saying yes to ingredients that bring not just nutrients but narrative to our plates. These foods carry stories of tradition, sustainability, and community. They remind us that every meal is an opportunity to connect with something larger than ourselves, whether it's the Amazon rainforest through a handful of Sacha Inchi seeds or the African savanna through a sprinkle of baobab powder. This year, as you contemplate your own fresh start, consider these ingredients not as items on a shopping list but as invitations to expand your world. They offer more than nutrition – they offer perspective, showing us that what's new to us has been essential to others for generations. In their cultivation, harvest, and journey to our kitchens, they tell stories of resilience, adaptation, and the endless human capacity to find sustenance in what the earth provides.
And isn't that what a new year is really about? Not the arbitrary flipping of a calendar page, but the conscious decision to expand our horizons, to taste what we haven't tasted before, to understand what we haven't understood. These ingredients, ancient and new all at once, offer us that opportunity. They remind us that every meal can be a fresh start, every bite a small revolution in how we think about food, health, and our connection to the wider world.
About Joann Jen
Joann Jen is the Co-Founder and Partner at Topi Ventures, a boutique venture studio dedicated to incubating sustainable CPG brands. With a career marked by successful brand leadership, a commitment to social equity, and a deep-seated belief in the power of innovation, Joann is a driving force in the global CPG landscape.
