Big Fruit. Bigger Mission.
The Jackfruit Company's Roots are in India — Literally and Figuratively
In 2011, when she was a pre-med student, our founder, Annie Ryu, had traveled to India to implement a maternal and child healthcare program she’d developed with her brother Alex. When she saw her first jackfruit at a street vendor’s stall, she was immediately intrigued. Why had she never heard of this huge, green, oddly studded fruit that was a dietary staple here in South and Southeast Asia? She set out to learn more, and what she learned was this: despite its many nutritional and ecological benefits, the majority of jackfruit grown in India was going to waste.
The jackfruit tree is wholly adapted to its environment—resistant to high temperatures, drought, and easy to grow. And because it doesn’t need to be replanted each year, it’s more viable for farmers to plant additional trees for future investment in their supply chain.
Not only that, jackfruit itself is nutritionally dense. It’s high in sustaining fiber, low in calories, and has a meaty, firm texture and versatile flavor. All put together, Annie realized that jackfruit had potential that matched its size—to not only improve our diets and health, but also the livelihood of local farmers, and ultimately, the well-being, of our planet.
But despite its local popularity and the abundant production, a virtually non-existent international supply system meant the majority of this miracle food was left unsold and uneaten.
Get the Fruit to the People
Annie had gone into medicine because she is committed to improving lives. In jackfruit, she saw an opportunity to do just that. In fact, by building distribution systems, improving market opportunities for farmers, and creating a working international supply chain to make jackfruit more available around the world, Annie realized she could make a difference on the kind of scale she’d been looking for. And that’s how Annie became an entrepreneur, and how The Jackfruit Company was born.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, The Jackfruit Company produces deliciously creative, supremely satisfying, 100% vegetarian dishes, all natural, all easy to prepare, and all featuring jackfruit as the primary ingredient. We’re also passionately committed to increasing global availability of jackfruit, as well as better opportunities for jackfruit farmers. Today, The Jackfruit Company works with over 1000 farming families to supply jackfruit to over 6000 retailers in the United States.
Our Mission
The mission of The Jackfruit Company is to transform healthy eating, farmers’ livelihoods, and humanity’s eco-footprint for the better. We work to bring you the highest quality jackfruit foods, sourced ethically and sustainably, and to be the global leader in jackfruit supply chains, direct from farms, growing our large community of farmers, partners, and loyal consumers every day.