Yolélé
Brooklyn, NY
Yolélé was founded by Pierre Thiam, a renowned Senegalese chef, and Phil Teverow, a food industry veteran. Pierre wanted to bring his native West African culinary roots to a broader audience with fonio: a tiny, quick-cooking, nutritious, gluten-free grain that grows in West Africa and cooks similarly to couscous. This ancient grain is grown exclusively by smallholder family farmers across the Sahel Region in West Africa. Yolélé sources their fonio from smallholder farmers in Mali, Senegal, and Guinea.
Fonio thrives in the arid soils of the Sahel, where its deep roots prevent erosion and replace nutrients in the soil. It stabilizes the soil, combating the effects of climate change and desertification. Yolélé's goal is to make it possible for farmers to make a living growing fonio, building a supply chain that benefits farmers and their communities, improves and protects the land they farm, and delights consumers who enjoy their delicious fonio.
Fonio thrives in the arid soils of the Sahel, where its deep roots prevent erosion and replace nutrients in the soil. It stabilizes the soil, combating the effects of climate change and desertification. Yolélé's goal is to make it possible for farmers to make a living growing fonio, building a supply chain that benefits farmers and their communities, improves and protects the land they farm, and delights consumers who enjoy their delicious fonio.
