RAMON SEED
Once a staple food crop of Maya civilization, the ramón is a seed of an abundant, naturally occurring canopy tree called Brosimum alicastrum. The seed continues to be utilized in local diet, but even more is becoming a community and family practice that benefits their livelihoods through the development of ramón-based products and supports animal and environmental well-being through sustainable wild harvesting.
Juan Trujillo
Rainforest Alliance, Petén
“It was very utilized by our ancestors and our grandparents. In my case, I still eat it a lot, baked, and made into tortillas.”
José Román
Rainforest Alliance, Latin America
"The ramón seed is a species that nourishes not only humans, but also the birds and mammals."
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Many regard the ramon seed as a superfood because of its nutritional value. Eaten raw certainly provided the Mayans many benefits. Also, there are endless amount of opportunities to make ramon into a food product.
Nutritional Components of the Ramon Seed
Dr. George Annor, a food scientist at the University of Minnesota, is researching the nutritional components of the Ramón seed and innovating new ways to process it. He explains that “ramón has a lot of carbohydrates it's a very good source of energy” and finding that it is made up of lots of starch and fiber as well as vitamins and minerals.
Ramon Facts
100% Free of Gluten, Dairy, Pesticides and Allegens
High in potassium, fiber, calcium, antioxidants, zinc, protein
0% caffeine
Dried ramon seeds have a moisture content of 6.05% with 350 calories per 100 grams of seed
Caroline MacDogall
Founder and CEO of Teeccino Caffé
"Ramón seed itself is very high in antioxidants. It has been compared to nuts like almonds, pecans, cashews, and walnuts that all contain antioxidants.
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Of all of the nuts that we commonly eat in America walnuts have the highest value of antioxidants and the ramon seed has been compared at that same level as walnuts for its antioxidant effects."
Dr. George Annor
Food scientist, University of Minnesota
“Now potassium is another one that has been identified in ramón as having a significant amount. Potassium is very important in what we call a sodium-potassium pump, so potassium helps to reduce sodium in the body and if you reduce sodium in the body it actually has an effect on blood pressure.”
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Nutritional Resources
RECIPES
Under construction
In the meantime, check out the other attributes of our products
Under construction
In the meantime, check out the other attributes of our products
Under construction
In the meantime, check out the other attributes of our products
ANCESTRAL ROOTS OF THE RAMON SEED
While it remains unclear where it was a main staple of Mayan culture diet or an emergency food, it is clear that it was highly important to Maya civilization. Ramón was cultivated and used by the ancient Mayan civilization from 300 to 900 AD.
Dr. Dean Current
University of Minnesota, Forestry
"[...] There's a discussion about whether it was a staple or an emergency food but one of the things that you do see is that you know there’s large concentrations of ramón trees around the mayan ruins"
Carolina Alvarado
Community Leader, Uaxactun
"The ramón is one of the oldest products of the Maya culture. In nutrition, ramón has since the Mayan times nourished like maíz [corn], it is a complement to maíz."
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The ramón seed has also significantly improved conservation and reforestation in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. In two decades, it is estimated that 1,800,000 new trees have been planted, for a total potential production of over four million kilograms of food per year, providing both a long-term solution to malnutrition and food insecurity in the region, protect endangered and iconic wildlife species suffering from habitat loss, and significant improvement of the ecosystem.
GuateCarbon Project
717,000 acres in the project area
More than 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide reduced over 2012 and 2013
56 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions aimed to be reduced over a 30-year period
More than 3,000 producers directly benefited through technical, social, and financial assistance
Baseline methodology established to quantify the amount of fixed carbon in the forest, involving 4 years of scientific work and more than 10 organizations
Ana Centeno
Community leader, Carmelita
“The collection of ramón is a very beautiful activity where the whole family participates. The fathers and sons go to the forest to collect seeds and this is a very well-paid activity that does not cause a single secondary effect on the forest. They collect under the community’s management plan which they women and men know that they have to leave 30 percent of the green seed to serve as nutrition for the animals. In this case, the jaguar because the rodents nearby come to eat the seed, which then jaguar eats."
GuateCarbon
Forest Carbon Project
Studies reveal that deforestation and forest degradation generates about a fifth of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To avoid deforestation and strengthen long-term support to forest concession communities, the partners ACOFOP, CONAP and Rainforest Alliance, proposed and established a GuateCarbon Forest Carbon Project.
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GuateCarbon aims to decrease carbon emissions from illegal deforestation over the decade(s), decrease illegal wildlife trafficking, and maintain or increase the revenue to communities from the forest and non-timber products.
SOCIAL BENEFITS &
GENDER EQUITY
Approximately 100,000 jobs are created annually, with wages above the country’s average from ramón harvesting, processing, and selling
