Flying On Ginger, Running On Ginger & New Drinks

A Singapore Airlines guide recommends either drinking ginger ale or eating a ginger-based Oriental dish to combat airsickness, according to an article in The Australian. But the article does suggest that if you take the ginger ale option, let it go flat first. This is because carbonated drinks can cause bloating through the expansion of stomach gases when descending. And I'm sure we all know what happens with excess gas.

The Dorset Ginger Company has added to its increasingly popular range with the launch of a new variant, “Strong and Dark”. The company has built its reputation on the Dorset Original Ginger drink but, following customer research, found that a sizeable number wanted a stronger tasting version. Hence the aptly named new drink.

Over to Sydney now and the release of a ginger-spiced real ale for the Australian winter. The Malt Shovel Brewery has produced Ginger Chops Alcoholic Ginger Ale with an abv of 4.2%. It also contains a little Australian honey. A post on the brewery blog contains the following line: "It won’t cure the common cold, but it’s sure to keep your innards warm this winter, while you doze off and dream of all things ginger". I'm sure that they meant to write "... and dream of All Things Ginger".

Traditionally, the planting of ginger 'seed' in many parts of India starts with the onset of the monsoon season. The heavy and widespread rain is essential for the newly-planted ginger to become well established. The monsoon system which graces India is known as the Southwest monsoon, or 'Nairutya Maarut', and persists from June to September. But this year the rain has been somewhat erratic. The monsoon arrived three days later than predicted, moved across many, but not all, expected areas and then stopped for a week. According to the Deccan Herald, this absence of heavy rain in the state of Karnataka has affected the sowing of ginger, an important crop for many farmers. Information regarding the progress of the monsoon can be found at the India Meteorological Department website.

Business Standard reported that Indian ginger exports rose by 37% in the last financial year with a corresponding 69% increase in value. In terms of actual tonnage (21,550 tonnes) it is not that large for the world's biggest producer of ginger but it is still quite impressive when you consider that the vast majority of the country's output is for local consumption. So it is understandable that farmers are concerned when their planting schedule is disrupted.

Two new styles of drinks have been launched in the USA, neither of which I have encountered before. The first concerns Mamma Chia which has launched three new chia-based vitality beverages including Grapefruit Ginger. Chia, or Salvia hispanica, is a flowering plant from the mint family which is grown in central America and neighbouring regions for the seeds it produces.

The second launch concerns Reed’s, Inc., maker of a range of non-alcoholic ginger drinks, which has entered the Kombucha market with the launch of four ginger-based flavours in its new Culture Club Kombucha range. Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea which originated in Northeast China and is now appearing around the world (but not, it seems, where I live).

I've just discovered Jeremiah Weed Root Brew at a local supermarket. Naturally, I bought a bottle which I plan to open in the next few days. I'll let you know what I think.

The grough website reported on the remarkable endurance feat of Colin Meek who has just completed a 30-day 600 mile run along Scotland's watershed. This watershed is a drainage divide which runs north to south through the country separating river systems which flow to the east from those which flow to the west. As well as running such a distance, Colin had to climb over 30 munros. A munro is a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet high. What brought this article to my attention was that he sustained himself with Fentimans Ginger Beer.

Today (July 1st) is officially Canada Day although, as it is Sunday this year, tomorrow is the statutory holiday. To celebrate the day, Ipsos-Reid conducted a survey of which one question was to select a national drink. Although beer topped the list with 42%, ginger ale came in a creditable fourth with 17%. Happy birthday Canada!

Still in Canada and a potted history about Canada Dry Ginger Ale in the National Post. The article mentioned that the drink received praise from the 8th Duke of Devonshire who pronounced it "the champagne of ginger ales". He must have known what he was talking about; he had been the British Secretary of State for India. India introduced the British to the pleasures of ginger.

Two weeks ago I wrote about a ginger flavoured Belgian Saison-style beer from Utica in New York. Saison beers, it appears, are becoming increasingly popular in the US. I have found another one and this time it is on the other side of the country in San Diego, California. The Green Flash Brewery has created Saison Diego, an unfiltered golden ale with orange peel, grains of paradise and Chinese ginger. Grains of paradise, or Aframomum melegueta, is a member of the ginger family.

Last week I highlighted the concern shown by Queensland's Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry minister about the bacterial dangers of importing fresh ginger from Fiji. This concern has now been backed by the president of the Australian Ginger Growers Association, Anthony Rehbein. According to News Mail, he fears that Fijian ginger could have unknown diseases and strains that are more virulent than anything in Australia. He is also concerned that the price of Fijian ginger could drive down the price of domestically grown ginger to the point were it would become uneconomic.

There is good news for Bangladeshi shoppers this Ramadan, according to The Daily Star. In past years the price of basic commodities such as ginger has risen to exorbitant levels during the month of fasting. But this year Commerce Ministry officials, businessmen and traders have agreed to limit profits to no more than ten percent.

Another piece of scientific research using ginger and yet another one from Nigeria. The study, 'Effect of chronic intake of Zingiber officinale (ginger) enriched diet on the gastrointestinal sections of albino rats', was conducted by the Department of Biochemistry at the Federal University Of Technology. The research demonstrated the digestive stimulatory effect of ginger.

Jamaican Exports, Nigerian Strike, Employment Opportunities & Rapper Feud

Following recent calls from Jamaican politicians and businesses for the local ginger industry to re-discover its former glory, the US ambassador to Jamaica has now added her voice in support. Speaking to the Portland (Jamaica) Chamber of Commerce, Pamela Bridgewater urged Jamaica's ginger producers and exporters to take full advantage of the USA's duty-free import program under both the Caribbean Basin Initiative and the Generalised System of Preferences. The ambassador's speech, reported in The Gleaner, also called for investors to support ginger farmers as the ginger "is of the highest quality in terms of its benefit to individuals, its taste, flavour, and its properties". Jamaican ginger was very popular in the US for much of the last century.

This week's mention of Crabbie's isn't going to be about Crabbie's itself. Marketing Magazine reported that Diageo has relaunched its ginger-flavoured Jeremiah Weed Root Brew to compete with the hugely successful Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Previously launched late last year in the UK with little fanfare, the 4pc abv bottled beer is said to be best served in a jam (or mason) jar over ice. I can't see that serving suggestion really catching on here in the UK as British drinkers prefer not to dilute their alcohol. It is made from ginger, fruit alcohol, spirit & flavours. Sounds interesting.

Ginger growers everywhere will be keeping a close watch on developments in Nigeria, the third largest exporter of ginger after China and India. The country has been hit by a general strike called by trade unions protesting against the removal of petrol subsidies which has led to a doubling of pump prices. According to agra-net.com, one area particularly badly affected is the export of dried ginger. An inability to export could result in a world shortage of dried ginger which, in turn, would increase the price. An increased price would be of immense benefit to growers in countries such as India who have witnessed a drop in income over the last year.

The potential damage caused by the Nigerian general strike on the ginger industry could be more than just a hiccup. A article last month in Nigerian Best Forum seems to indicate that the ginger industry in the state of Kaduna, Nigeria's ginger heartland, is in a parlous condition following decades of neglect.

Employment opportunities in the ginger industry featured a couple of times last week. The first was the news, reported by The Fiji Times, that Fiji's largest ginger processing company, Frespac, is looking to recruit more ginger farmers to help it meet this year's export commitments. Frespac, a subsidiary of Australia's Buderim Ginger, is targeting the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

This was followed by the Jamaica Observer story that the recently elected Jamaican government is looking to agriculture to create employment. Ian Hayles, Junior Agriculture and Fisheries minister, said that a number of crops, including ginger, will be given priority attention to attract young people into farming. With Jamaica's desire to become self-sufficient in food and the call to export more ginger to the US, a career in ginger farming seems very attractive.

Today sees the launch of a gelatin-free ginger confection at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, California. Ginger Spice Drops have been developed by The Ginger People, America's leading ginger company.

Produce News Daily carried an interesting article on the forthcoming Chinese New Year celebrations and how it is raising interest in Asian cuisine. The article also mentioned that the current Hawaiian ginger crop grown by California-based Christopher Ranch "is looking good". I'm not sure whether Christopher Ranch grows ginger in California but I can see why the company has a presence in Hawaii. Hawaiian ginger has a long harvesting season from December to June. In Hawaii's off-season, ginger is imported from Brazil, Thailand, Costa Rica and Peru. Back in 2007 the company had a problem with Chinese grown ginger containing pesticide residues. Maybe that is the reason why China is now missing from the list of Christopher Ranch's suppliers.

It may sound perverse but I'm sure that there is a good reason for it. Hawaii exports much of its ginger crop to the US but then has to import replacement ginger from Fiji. Discuss.

Over to Toronto in Canada now and an unusual story of rappers and ginger ale. The Star reported a feud between two North American rappers by the name of Drake and Common (I've no idea who they are either). Apparently Common calls Drake "you Canada Dry" on one of his songs, presumably in reference to Drake's penchant for the drink. This reached the Twittersphere like everything else does these days and before long Canada Dry Ginger Ale started trending. It would be interesting to know whether the brand registered a noticeable increase in sales in Canada last week.

I've found the link to last week's report on McCormick's global Flavour Forecast for 2012. I still don't know why it disappeared.

The Bangkok Post business section reported on a call by the honorary chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' pharmaceutical industry club to reduce the cost of the country's medicine imports. Chernporn Tengamnuay said that by developing a herbal industry would both reduce import costs and create employment in the cultivation sector. He said that over 90pc of the raw materials for Thai medicines are imported. Ginger is now undergoing clinical trials to determine its efficacy in easing joint pain. Thailand already has the advantage of being an established ginger producer.

The problems caused by falling ginger prices in India was highlighted in The Hindu Business Line which showed that the current ginger index (the Indians have a useful index for many crops) is not only lower than a year ago, it is also much lower than 2004-5.

We don't often read about ginger in crime (apart from the occasional pesticide incident) but I found one last week in the Waukesha Patch. The Wisconsin city reported that two drug addicts tried to sell fake marijuana to a police informant in order to feed their heroin habits. The fake marijuana was actually a mixture of ginger and leaves which the addicts hoped the informant would only feel and not see.

A new entry for my list of ginger growing countries - Israel (courtesy of Tekoa Farm).

Car Colours For 2012, Call To Re-Establish Jamaican Ginger & Latest Crabbie's Launch

There was good news this week for ginger lovers in New Zealand courtesy of the Otago Daily Times - Monteith’s seasonal Summer Ale is back on the shelves. This bright, gold beer is made with four different malts, a single hop variety, honey and, of course, ginger. My interest in this beer was overshadowed somewhat by the reminder that I live in the UK, a glorious Indian summer has just ended, and winter looms on the horizon.

The Ford Motor Company has just revealed the colours for its forthcoming range of new cars and they include Ginger Ale. This colour will be seen on the new Ford Escape when it is unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show next month. The Ford blog said that Ginger Ale was selected for its energy and refreshing qualities and went on to describe it as "a classic gold neutral with slight green undertones, it’s found naturally in rocks, minerals and sandy beaches as well as jewellery, gems and textiles". This blog post is a fascinating insight into the work involved in selecting a colour for a particular model. I didn't realise it but Ginger Ale was selected as the Colour of the Year for 2008 by ICI Paints. ICI's Colour Futures Team said at the time that Ginger Ale was the colour of life-sustaining sunshine and described it as "having the ability to convey a mood of warmth, sociability and welcome".

A Jamaican business executive last week issued a call to arms and demanded that his country re-establish itself as a producer of top quality agricultural produce. Dr Keith Amiel, corporate affairs manager at Caribbean Broilers Group, told The Gleaner that Jamaica needs to go back to basics and invest in a new generation of farmers. We all know that the Jamaican ginger industry virtually disappeared in the 1990s through a combination of disease, poor farming and bad management. Dr Amiel highlighted two products which were known worldwide for their use of Jamaican ginger. He mentioned Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Stone's Ginger Wine which originally had the word Jamaica on their labels but have now had it removed because Jamaica could not supply enough. I think that it is fair to say that Jamaican ginger will not appear in these products again but it doesn't mean that new products couldn't be developed. I'm convinced that Jamaican ginger is its own unique selling point.

Never a week goes by without an announcement or item of news from that remarkable ginger drinks company, Crabbie's. One week it will be news of another sponsorship deal, the next week it will be the launch of the latest in the series of witty TV advertising campaigns with George and Camilla. Last week the market was presented with a new member of the Crabbie's family - Crabbie's Spiced Orange. This is a blend of the existing Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer, orange and spices. Apparently, Halewood International, who make Crabbie's, used consumer research which said that orange has the most popular flavour profile. I'd like to suggest that there would be a market for a Spiced Lemon and/or Lime equivalent as well. The ginger and lime combination already works successfully in their nut mix.

Dry Ginger Shortage, The World's Best, Pan Am & Lebkuchen

I read somewhere last week that there could soon be a world shortage of Chinese dry ginger. The reason is that the temperature in China is lower than expected for the time of year and for those farmers who dry their ginger outdoors this is bad news. It is also bad news for us because China is the world's largest producer of dry ginger.

The Independent carried an article about a report on food flavour trends over the next year. The report, Global Food Additives Market, has been produced by the internationally renowned UK-based Leatherhead Food Research. The gist of the report is that consumers will be moving towards flavours with a bit of a punch and kick like pepper, chilli and, you've guessed it, ginger. I'm not surprised to hear that but I can't help thinking that if the researchers had come to me first I could have saved them a lot of time and effort. Ginger will be in vogue next year, the year after and the year after that.

Today sees the first broadcast of the new ABC drama Pan-Am. I haven't read much about it but I gather it is an airline equivalent of the hugely successful Mad Men. Like an increasing number of programmes recently, Pan Am will feature product placement. Some of the placements I've seen in other dramas and films appear to be so contrived or unnecessary you find that they can detract from the enjoyment. But one placement in Pan Am would be more noticeable by its absence. Cabin scenes throughout the show's first series will show characters being served with Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Apparently, you can't get more realistic than that.

An internationally famous chef has said that ginger from Fiji is the best in the world. The Fiji Times reported that Robert Oliver made the comment in his book Me’a Kai, voted the best cookbook at the 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. This is very good news for Fiji as it rebuilds its ginger industry following the ravages of disease.

As part of my self-imposed remit to report on small businesses I shall return to a company I have mentioned before. Rachel's Ginger Beer is an up-and-coming business based in Seattle. Having started production in borrowed accommodation, the company has now purchased a bar which will also house its ginger beer operation. If you live in and around Seattle, you can find the bar here.

When the Texas Rangers baseball team won last year's American League West divisional championship, they publicly celebrated by drinking and spraying Canada Dry Ginger Ale. The ginger ale was supplied by Dr Pepper, the beverage conglomerate based in Texas. Last Friday the Rangers won the title for the second year in succession and again celebrated with ginger ale. Seems like an unusual by highly effective form of advertising for Canada Dry.

Now that the northern hemisphere has entered autumn I've noticed that the Web is littered with newly-brewed pumpkin ales and harvest beers. These lovely drinks, mainly from the US, invariably contain ginger. So have a browse and see what you can find.

Autumn in the UK also sees the reappearance of adverts for the Christmas fairs in Germany. I've never been to one but I am tempted by the trips to Nuremburg, home of the famous gingerbread "Lebkuchen". It is said that the city became a centre of gingerbread making because of its position on the spice route. Records show that gingerbread was being produced in the city as far back as 1395. Have a look at this site, an interesting history of the Nuremburg gingerbread industry.