Teff Australia Adds a New Twist to Your Dining Table
Are you tired of the same old breakfast of eggs and cereal? How about surprising your loved ones with a home-cooked meal using a new organic superfood?

Well, you can do this and much much more thanks to teff, an Ethiopian staple grain that’s likely to be ‘the next quinoa’.

Driven by its mission to be “ the world-leading supplier of high-quality, locally grown teff”,                    Teff Australia is a company led by a team of Ethiopian teff lovers. The firm aims to introduce the highly-nutritious teff to the world while boosting Ethiopian farmers back home – helping everyone thrive and find joy.  

So, what is Teff Australia Company all about?  Read on to find out.
Teff Australia Company: A Brief Background
Back home, Ethiopian teff farmers face many hurdles in their quest to increase teff production. Mechanization –  or rather lack of it – is the main challenge. Planting, harvesting, and grain processing are all manual. 
To increase local production and create a surplus for export requires best practices and teff-specific machinery. Indeed, exports might incentivize farmers to use modern farming methods and invest in machinery thus help to increase demand. 
Enter Teff Australia company.

A Company With a Big Heart
So, how did Teff Australia come about?

Founded 20 years ago by Haileluel Gebre-Selassie, Teff Australia Company was borne of the desire to provide high-quality fresh grain and flour – grown and milled by local farmers – to African Australian Communities. 

In 2014, Haileluel was joined by his partner Les Mitchell, an agricultural consultant who had experimented with teff farming. The two started farming teff officially in Melbourne.

Together with the award-winning chef Mahlet Girma, Haileluel aims to bring teff’s value – variety and healthier nutrition – to all; Australians and the global community. 

Teff Australia’s deepest desire is to support local communities. It thus sells Australian grown teff flour and related products through community networks. This ensures that both the firm and locals share in the profits generated.

The firm gives the assurance that all its crops are grown in a sustainable manner such as using minimal fertiliser.  It further pledges that it has full knowledge about the grain’s production, harvesting, processing, and final packaging.

Teff Australia commits to forging strong relationships between Aussie farmers and new arrivals into the country. This helps the latter to integrate better into the community.

The firm also supports local organizations such as sporting clubs. Teff Australia has received a certificate of appreciation awarded by one of the local communities for funding its youth. 

You can buy Teff Australia’s products online, from health food stores, and some commercial bakeries. With each online pack you purchase, newly arrived communities and farmers get support from the company.
Rebranding Teff Australia
Teff Australia is currently in the process of rebranding. Its goal is to create a better future for the voiceless farmers and their families in Ethiopia. 

How does it plan to do this? 

By providing the farmers with innovative farming technology. Besides, Teff Australia plans to create and research into models of how to do this economically and sustainably in a way that is replicable.

Furthermore, the company is also looking into forming the Australian Teff Growers Association to offer more agronomic support to teff farmers.

“We would like the industry to grow, so it’s important to get the proper information and support to growers about choosing the right varieties and suitable fertilizers which will help them get the best performance out of their crop.” quotes Haileluel, the company director. 

‘’We will help the world to look good, feel good and get more out of life with the smallest, most nutritious grain that ever existed’’ adds Amanuel Bayu, the company’s CMO. 

Teff Australia has set its sights beyond the Australian food market and is looking to Americans and Asians searching for healthier, gluten-free dietary alternatives.

What Is Teff, and Is It Really That Good for You? 
Walk into any Ethiopian restaurant for a unique dining experience; the simple joy of tearing off a pancake-like bread, and using it to wipe up spicy chunks of meat or vegetable curry off your plate. 

This spongy, sourdough-tasting bread is made from teff, one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world. Widely cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea, teff is a staple diet for the locals who consume it as Injera, a fermented flatbread.

This ancient plant is quite hardy and thrives in the harshest of climates. It produces a good crop even under near-drought conditions. The seed is available in a range of colours from white to ivory and brown.

The Benefits of Consuming Teff
Is teff the next superfood? Let’s explore the benefits of consuming teff.

Teff might be tiny but don’t be put off by its size. This grain packs a mighty punch. Teeming with iron, calcium, and Vitamin B, teff is full of resistant starch too. The latter is a dietary fibre that helps to maintain blood sugar levels and manage your body weight.

Teff has a low-glycemic index making it ideal for diabetics. But guess what? It contains two times the iron and three times the calcium in quinoa! This healthier alternative also boasts carbohydrates, proteins, and promotes a healthy gut.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, then teff is the most ideal grain for you. Why so? This is because it’s the only cereal that boasts all the eight essential amino acids needed for perfect health including calcium. 

Besides, teff is gluten-free and sports a unique nutty flavour that makes it a fantastic wheat flour substitute in many recipes. Also, unlike most gluten-free flours that tend to be tricky to work with, teff flour is quite the star. What’s not to like?
How to Add Teff to Your Diet
Not sure how to incorporate teff into your family meals? Fret not.

Easy to cook and quite versatile, you can use teff flour to make bread, cake, pancakes, porridge, or cereal. You can also mix it with regular flour or use it as a healthier alternative. What’s more, it makes your baked goods light and fluffy.

Alternatively, you may incorporate teff into your normal preparations such as pancake mix. For example, to make a healthy breakfast:

Use a pan to dry fry teff for five minutes 
Soak it in boiling water for another five minutes
Leave it uncovered for a slightly crunchy texture  – great topping for your soups, stews or greens
For a creamier texture, cook a cup of teff in 3 cups of water for about 20 minutes 
Add your favourite ingredients to make a fantastic porridge

Finally, you can also make veggie burgers by mixing cooked teff with herbs, seeds, or tofu. The options are limitless!
Wrapping Up
The main barrier to Ethiopia’s ambition to increase its teff surplus both for local use and export is lack of mechanization. This is because most of the planting, harvesting, and grain processing is manually done.

Teff Australia company is doing its best to meet this challenge and take teff farming to the next level. This is echoed by the CMO’s parting shot:

“We not only propose to bring farmers innovative technology, but we also don't waste any time bringing you freshly harvested organic teff to enjoy on the next family dinner,” 
 

