FAQ
Yes, all AHO™ products are vegan since we, the founders, believe in providing people with the best possible nourishment.
Yes, all ingredient that go into our AHO™ crackers are certified organic. The German stone rock salt that we use does not contain any organic certification because salt does not have a recognised system of organic certification.
Yes, AHO™ crackers are raw since they are never heated above 42°C; neither in preparation nor in the dehydration process. One of our main aims is to put food on the market which is as close to its original condition in nature as possible (since that is when it is at its nutritional best.)
The hulled hemp seeds come from north Germany from regionsl organic farms. We are in close contact with our hemp farmers; their hemp fields are stunning and we take great pride in being able to offer customers locally-grown superfoods.
The base of our crackers is an ancient sprouted spelt grain, the „Oberkulmer Rotkorn“. This grain is naturally gluten-free and has not been genetically modified or hybridised with modern grains. Oberkulmer red grain spelt has a different animo acid structure than wheat (e.g modern types of spelt). That is why it tends not to be used in baking on an industrial level.
However, officially-speaking our product is not „gluten-free“ because our spelt is still a 'kind of grain', and we indicate this on our packaging in accordance with food requirement laws. Ultimately we are not allowed to give medical advice so we would recommend customers who have any doubts to consult their doctors before trying the product. We have had many customers with gluten intolerances tell us that they have had no problems with our crackers (in fact many of them claimed that they found them much easier to digest than other gluten-free food products!) One of our AHO team members is a celiac and she has been enjoying our crackers for years without a problem. It's important to mention here that we let our grains germinate before using them in our crackers. This means that a lot of the minerals or acids like phyctic acid, which protect the grain and often creative digestive problems, have been broken down.
AHO™ crackers are not gluten-free. However, the sprouted red grain spelt (which is less than 0,01% hybridised with modern grains) has a significantly lower content of gluten than in conventional gluten-containing products. The gluten in our organic red grain spelt seems to have a different effect on the body. We hereby refer you to the following source: Histavino:
„Pure, unmodified types of spelt such as the Red Tiroler, Ebners Red-grain, Neuegg, White-corn, Swabish-corn, Holsten-corn, Bauländer spelt, Ostro, Oberkulmer red-grain spelt and Altgold are often digested without a problem by those who claim to have a gluten intolerance.“Quelle: https://www.histavino.com/alles-zu-gluten-und-laktose/dinkel-gluten-ein-besonderes-klebereiweiss
Yes, for us at AHO™ it is extremely important that the products we use are locally-grown. That's why the main ingredients we use: organic red grain spelt, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and stone rock salt, come German farms. Accordingly our AHO™ taw Nature Cracker consists entirely of Germany-grown ingredients.
Yes, our bags are 100% biodegradable. This is because the packaging is made entirely from natural plant-based products. The external material in an untreated paper - the so-called 'Kraftpapier' (strong paper), which varies in colour because it is not chemically treated. The inner material is a foil made of cellulose. The sealable top is also made of cellulose, meaning that the entire bag is fully compostable.
Yes, we want to support all customers trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle. We would send the crackers in paper bags for hygine purposes and to make sure tha quality of the crackers is not compromised. We ask all customers who order crackers without the packaging to store them in an airtight container, for instance in a glass box, and to keep that in a cool, dry place so that our products stay fresh for as long as possible.Please do not keep the crackers in the refridgerator; with damp vegetables or salad as this may compromise the product's best-before date. Damp will change the consistency of the crackers and may remove their crunch.
AHO™ crackers kept in their original packaging are good for up to a year. You'll find the best before date on every product packet. Un-packed AHO™ crackers should be consumed in as short a time as possible once received. Should customers want to keep them for longer, we can only reinforce keeping them in optimal dry storage conditions so that the quality is not compromised, but since the storage conditions will vary from household to household we cannot offer an exact date. Here are a few tips for storing our AHO™ crackers:
- Please do not store in the fridge, since this is a highly damp environment which could conpromise the quality of our products. The crackers will become moist in such conditions and lose its crunch.
- Please do not store it in the same place as wet vegetables, fruit or other fresh products for the same reason.
According to the producers of the compostable paper bags with their inner cellulose lining, the packaging is best disposed in the biological bin. The waste industry who handle and sort the biological waste have an industrial-sized compost facility which is much more efficient at composting than home-made compost heaps. Home composting would work, but the process would take much longer than it would on the industrial level.
The AHO™ crackers are dehydrated and accordingly have a very low level of moisture. Thanks to the re-sealable bags, you don't have to consume your crackers immediately after initially opening them. The important thing is that they are kept in a cool, dry place and that the cellulose zip is properly closed.
Most people are only familiar with wholegrain as the alternative to white pasta. We've developed a new alternative made from sprouted grains: sprouted buckwheat and sprouted spelt pasta. The buckwheat/ spelt is sprouted and therefore has lower levels of the mineral-absorption preventing phyctic acid than conventional un-sprouted grains. It is also much higher in minerals, because your body is able to access them more easily once the grain is sprouted and the plant's natural defences are removed. To ensure that we retain as many of these minerals and vitamins as possible we dehydrate our pasta at just 42°C, meaning that nutrients are not broken down in high temperatures.
Theoretically yes: some customers do enjoy the pasta simply 'crunchy', but you can also leave it in 40°C warm water so soften a little. Both of these are valid options because our pasta has been sprouted. We would recommend a maximum cook-time of 3 minutes. In this time the high B-vitamin content is only slightly reduced and the primary benefit of reduced phyctic acid levels will be
en hanced.
Die meisten Menschen kennen als Alternative zur klassischen Pasta aus Weizenmehl nur Vollkornnudeln. Wir haben eine Alternative aus Sprossen entwickelt: Buchweizensprossen Pasta und Dinkelsprossen Pasta. Der Buchweizen/Dinkel ist gekeimt und hat von daher mehr Vitamine und weniger demineralisierende Phytinsäure als nicht gekeimter Buchweizen/Dinkel: mehr Mikronährstoffe, weniger Antinährstoffe. Zudem wird die eher schwer verdauliche Stärke in einfache verdauliche Disaccharide umgewandelt. Um die Vitamine möglichst gut zu erhalten, wird die Buchweizensprossen/Dinkel Pasta schonend bei 42°C gedörrt.
Theoretisch kann die Pasta auch roh gegessen werden, in dem sie in 40°C warmes Wasser eingelegt wird. Manche Kinder mögen die Buchweizensprossen Pasta sogar einfach "knackig" und essen sie ohne Einweichen direkt aus der Tüte. Das ist bei unserer Sprossen Pasta durch den Keimprozess alles kein Problem. Wir empfehlen auf der Packung jedoch eine sehr geringe Kochzeit von maximal 3 Minuten. In dieser Zeit reduzieren sich die B-Vitamine nur minimal und der elementare Vorteil der reduzierten Phytinsäure wird weiter verstärkt. Der Vorteil der abgebauten Stärke bleibt ebenfalls erhalten.
"AHO” stammt aus alten Sprachen indigener Völker. Nachdem eine Person im Redekreis zu Ende gesprochen hatte, wurde die Aussage mit “AHO” abgeschlossen. Die Zuhörer im Redekreis drückten durch ein erwiderndes “AHO” eine bejahende Zustimmung aus. Wir haben diesen Namen gewählt, weil wir zu unserem Produkt von ganzem Herzen "ja“ sagen können.
"AHO” comes from an old saying from indigenous folk. Once a person in a gathering has had their say, the word "AHO" is uttered to indicate that they have finished. The listeners then reciprocate with an “AHO” which indicates consensus. We chose this word for our business because our product is communal: we want everyone to wholeheartedly stand behind and support our philosophies. Namely, producing superfood which protects the planet and is good for your body.
