Our Story
Kukuya is a word derived from the Shona language of Zimbabwe and it means "to grind". Traditionally the making of peanut butter was done by women in the village using 2 stones (an upper and lower millstones) where they would grind the peanuts in the middle of the stones to create a smooth paste. This is how our grandmother made it for us, and this is how peanut butter is still made in the villages today. This is a job seldom done in isolation, and women would use this time to catch up on life, laugh and share stories. The grinding process is just as much about getting the perfect output as it is about friendships and family. To carry on with this tradition, all our nut butters are stone ground.
Key benefits of using the stone ground method over the other conventional methods are:
- Stone grinding is slow and produces the nut butters at a low temperature. This preserves more of the nutrients in the nuts compared to the the high temperatures used in conventional methods which kills off a lot of the nutrients in the nuts
- Since the process is slow, it also means time is taken to slowly break down and release the natural oils which leads to a smoother and silkier product
- This method gives a better product output as well as a better product life
We just want to create products that are authentic, simple and delicious. This is why we are intentional about what we put into our products, keeping our ingredients down to a minimum with the nut as the hero.
Our products are 100% Natural, Gluten Free, Free from palm oil, suitable for Vegans and people who want to eat clean, healthy food.
To us, Kukuya is not just a brand, it is food, it is love, it is family. It is the personification of our love for food that we have decided to share with the world.
As you enjoy our nut butters, you have become part of our extended family and we are so excited.
Welcome to the family
Love the Kukuya Kitchen
