FAQ

Where is KARANA based?

We are proud to call Singapore home.

What is Jackfruit, and where does it come from?

Jackfruit is a fruit that’s native to Tropical Asia. It is a member of the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family and is the world's largest tree-borne fruit. A jackfruit tree can start fruiting 3 years after planting, can grow up to 20 metres tall and produce over 200 delicious jackfruits a year.

What’s so great about Jackfruit? What are the benefits of using Jackfruit vs other plants?

It really does taste like meat. Try it to see what we mean.
Its versatile in the kitchen, grabbing onto flavours and spices & also giving lots of interesting textures.
It’s a nutritionally dense fruit with high fibre levels, no cholesterol, low fat and low calories (vs meat).
It’s an abundant, sustainable & biodiverse fruit that is largely wasted as a resource.
- Each year its estimated that 60% of the Jackfruit crop goes to waste with only roughly 10% being commercialised. We like the idea of working with something that already abundant in nature and significantly utilised.
- Jackfruit trees are pest & drought (heat) resistant, so small-holder farms don’t require much effort to grow and harvest as there is no need for irrigation.
- A lone Jackfruit tree can produce 200+ fruits per year, each weighing up to 40+ kgs. That’s a high yield for a single tree that doesn’t require many inputs from farmers.
- Jackfruit is mainly grown intercropped as a shade plant rather than a monocrop (like Soy). This means that they help support other flora and fauna adding to local biodiversity rather than taking away from it.

Where are KARANA products made and where are your ingredients sourced from?

The value-add manufacturing steps are done in Singapore. Our main ingredient Jackfruit is sourced from small-holder farmers in Sri-lanka.

Are KARANA products Vegan and dairy-free?

We are 100% plant-based and vegan.

Do you use protein isolates, concentrates or texturates in KARANA products?

No, we don’t. We pride ourselves on using minimally processed whole-plant meat to make our products.

Do you use artificial flavours in KARANA products?

We only use a small number of natural flavours. We think it’s important that our products don’t have any artificial flavours.

Is KARANA healthy?

Our goal is to make the food you can feel good about eating more of. We're not perfect but we think you'll agree that compared to meat there are lots of benefits to eating KARANA including:

High Fibre
No Cholesterol
Low Fat and saturated fat free
Made from whole-plants, without heavy-processing, antibiotics, hormones, or GMOs.

How do KARANA Whole-plant meat shreds compare to nutritionally to Pork?

Here is a comparison between KARANA and pork loin.

KARANA WHOLE-PLANT SHREDS vs PORK LOIN

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168320/nutrients

Are there any allergens in KARANA products?

Our product ingredients do not contain allergens, but the production facility also handles fish, soy, wheat, egg, sesame, celery and pork. There may be trace amounts of the above from the handling of other products.

Are Karana products Organic certified?

Our product is not officially organic certified, but our jackfruits are grown organically by small-holder farmers, without the use of harmful pesticides.

Are Karana products Halal?

At the moment we are not produced in a halal-certified facility therefore our products are not Halal-certified. However, we do not use any animal products and alcohol in our manufacturing process.

Are Karana products Gluten-free?

While our ingredients do not contain any gluten, we cannot guarantee (at the moment!) that there aren't any traces of gluten during our production process. We're working towards ensuring that our product will be gluten free in the future.

Do KARANA products contain onion, garlic or other alliums?

Our Whole-plant Meat Shreds and Mince products do not contain onion, garlic or other alliums. Once we finalise the recipes for our soon to launch retail products, we will update the FAQs should this position change.

What is KARANA whole plant meat shreds made of?

We're proud to have a very short list of ingredients" - Young Jackfruit, Canola oil, sea salt, natural flavourings.

Where can I try KARANA?

Awesome that you want to try! click here for a list of locations in Singapore.

Can’t I just buy a fresh jackfruit and do it myself?

Of course, you can, and people do. However, Jackfruit isn’t the easiest ingredient to manage in the kitchen: They are huge and a little unwieldy. Jackfruit also produces a latex-like sap that is very sticky and messy, requiring some prep and knowledge to manage. Our jackfruits are taken through a proprietary series of cooking techniques that develop our signature texture gently, whilst retaining the integrity and benefits of the Jackfruit as a “whole-plant”. We also spent a lot of time working on the optimum time to harvest our Jackfruits to produce the best meat-like texture and taste. As Jackfruits get older, they develop more sugars, so they have a sweeter flavour and fragrance, making it more of a dessert ingredient than a savoury one. We do the hard parts, so you don’t have to.

Is KARANA’S packaging recyclable?

Our current packaging is made from materials that can be recycled. We are working on several initiatives to make our future packaging better than today and continually seek to improve.

When will KARANA offer products in retail?

We are working with our Chefs and product developers to get the best possible product in the market as soon as possible. We won’t take any shortcuts on a product so that you really get the best taste experience possible. We are targeting our products on shelves in retail in the first half of 2021.

Who do I contact if I want to talk about using KARANA at my restaurant?

Drop us a note on our contact page and we will get back you as soon as we can.

What’s the reason behind the name KARANA?

Karana comes from a Sanskrit word that means "doing" and a Balinese phrase that refers to achieving balance with nature as a route to prosperity. It is a word that has taken on a variety of forms and meanings across South and Southeast Asia. Karana represents our goal to empower and encourage everyone to take action, however small, to bring more balance back to our food systems. It also represents our commitment to blending innovation and tradition, using technology to improve what we already have available and celebrate food in its natural form.