Tara comes primarily from the harsh climate of the Peruvian high plateaus and wilderness mountains.  The Tara tree or Spiny Holdback (Cesalpina spinosa), which grows to approximately 25 feet tall, is a thorny, leguminous plant that produces yellow and red flowers, as well as long, flat pea-style pods that contain from four and seven large, black seeds.  Tara trees are quite hardy, and are resistant to many pathogens and diseases.  Cultivation of the Tara tree is not yet sophisticated, as such, the pods are harvested manually; and sun-dried before being further processed.  While the tree is native to the Peru, it is also grown throughout South America, and in some drier regions of both Africa and Asia.

The Tara-growing region of Peru, centering around Cajamarca, is comprised of many, very poor, rather isolated farming communities. The climate is generally sunny and dry.  And, farming is the major source of income for the indigenous people.  The farmers in this area are so poor that only a decade ago, more than half of the population was considered to be living below the poverty line!

The Pre-Incan and Incan people of Peru discovered a wide variety of uses for the Tara tree that the local Indian communities still employ today, including the treatment of skin irritations, urinary tract infections, and throat aches; as well as producing black dye for clothing and leather. 

The tannic acid that is produced from the powder of Tara seed skins helps to create supple, soft, light-colored leather used in the production of things like car seats and shoes.  Because Tara is a natural product, using it to produce leather allows these industries to avoid having to utilize hazardous chrome in the tanning process.

Modern-day Peruvian locals still employ Tara medicinally as mentioned above.  But recent extraction and processing techniques have revealed the true benefits of Tara, as a food additive and nutritional supplementation.  Gum extract, for example, is derived from the Tara seeds.  Since 1995, this all-natural gum has been widely used in the food industry as a thickener and stabilizer in ice creams, jellies, sauces, yogurts, bakery goods, and meat products.

Furthermore, thanks to break-through technology that allows for the separation of seed germ from the remains of the pod powder and seed husk left over from producing Tara Gum and tannin, we now have Tara protein—a pure, finely-ground, 100% plant protein, both in certified-organic and conventional forms, which can range in color from off-white to pale yellow.

Many other applications are being developed for Tara in a range of sectors that include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, paper, fabrics, and oils.

The applications for Tara in our modern life-style cover a lot of ground, from maintaining healthy functionality through dietary supplementation, to anti-oxidation, and immune and respiratory support, to weight loss and weight management.

Tara Plant Protein exhibits a neutral to nutty flavor and has a fine, flour-like texture.  These characteristics lend it well to applications in industries such as:

• Baking, i.e. cookies
• Pasta-making
• Confectionery, i.e. chocolates
• Nutritional bars
• Snack foods
• Meat substitutes

Until recently, the locals did not purposely cultivate the Tara tree.  Instead, they collected the seeds that fell to the ground and sold them locally as medicinal remedies.  Thanks to both the Belgian NGO, Autre Terre, and the American organization, I-DEV International, however, over the past two decades, farmers have been supported to grow and harvest Tara for the expanding international marketplace.  These organizations helped to improve cultivation techniques and to increase production.  In doing so, the 6,000+ Tara farmers in the region have been able to raise their standard of living and boost their wages more than 3.5 times!  The farmers have also organized and are claiming a larger portion of the Tara profit “pie” by doing the first processing themselves, thereby cutting out foreign processors, to some degree, and retaining the value-chain business for themselves.

Thanks to the diminutive Tara tree, local Peruvian farmers have a promising future.  As demand grows world-wide for the various sustainably-grown products of Tara, production will continue to rise, thereby further enhancing the quality of life for the people in the region—it is a positive cycle!

The main advantage bolstering hope for Tara gum, tannin, and protein powder is that it is natural and minimally processed.  As the benefits of Tara become more widely known and understood, it will emerge as an attractive alternative to similar, chemically-based, often hazardous, more expensive products.  Yes, the time for Tara has arrived!