Carob is a delicious and healthy alternative to chocolate. It’s produced by grinding the pods of the Carob tree to a fine powder. In fact, using it for its nutritional and health benefits goes all the way back 4000 years to the Ancient Greeks. Today, Carob trees are found throughout the Mediterranean and here in Australia too.
Carob is commonly used in food. Because Carob is similar to chocolate, it can be used the same way, but it has several health advantages. These include plenty of fibre, antioxidants, lower amounts of fat and sugar, and no gluten. Plus, Carob confectionery contains vitamins such as A, B2, B6, and essential minerals. Importantly, Carob is also caffeine-free. Caffeine can be a handy pick-me-up, but it can also cause insomnia and anxiety, especially if consumed at night. In addition, Carob seeds contain very pure gum. Today, the gum is used in cosmetics, fireworks, pharmaceuticals, industrial oils, mayonnaise, chewing gums, ice cream, sandwich spreads, pet foods, and so much more. The Carob tree really is fascinating and incredibly versatile.
In 1967, Ian Hamey and his parents sparked the beginnings of Carobana Carob Confectionery. They began by drying bananas for the market, which they grew on their plantation in Coffs Harbour. Carob was introduced in 1982 by producing the first Carob coated bananas. In fact, this is how the name Carobana was born. Not only did we coat the dried bananas, but also other dried fruits and nuts.
As part of our expansion, Ian invented an ingenious machine that could create Carob clusters, like our Coconut Rough. Soon after, Ian and his wife Jean sold the plantation to focus solely on their factory. Their principal outlet was the health food industry. Next, they decided to open retail premises to the public. This is where customers can see, first hand, how the delicious confectionery is made and see the confectioners at work. Incidentally, when Ian was asked to make honeycomb, he had no idea what a challenge it would be! It turns out that it is one of the most difficult of all sugar confections to perfect. Consequently, to get all aspects of the Carob confectionary production right took almost 2 years.
Our new Carob line was introduced in the early ’80s. This included Honeycomb Nibbles – a bite-sized crunchy, light, Carob coated honeycomb treat that’s a tastebud explosion of flavour. Next, we introduced our crunchy, wholesome nut brittle range. Over the years, we became the principal supplier in the Eastern region of Australia. Then, around 2012, we were again asked for another specialty product: Cocoa Chocolate lines. These would complement our already popular Carob confectionery delight. Thus, our resident creative inventor Ian promptly built the specialised machinery for that too.
We now also supply cocoa chocolate honeycomb, rocky road & rocky road cupcakes.
