Spices by OFI.

 Industry Voice by OFI, formerly known as Olam Spices.

Spices by ofi, formerly known as Olam Spices, is a vertically integrated ingredient supplier. With its long-standing farmer relationships and strict food safety standards, the business has become the largest grower and manufacturer of dried garlic and onion in the world, with global leadership positions in chiles, pepper, tropical spices, pures and parsley.

Spices’ crop supervisors work directly with growers to ensure sustainable growing practices are being upheld – resulting in healthy harvests, as well as reduced waste and water usage. Once harvested, the products are delivered to the Spices processing facility closest to where it was grown and manufactured into various formats and piece sizes.

After the products pass quality check, they are packed and shipped to customers who range from global corporations to small to medium sized businesses and in industries that are just as diverse – from makers of consumer packaged goods to cattle ranchers.

In addition to flavoring food throughout history, spices and herbs have also been used as a natural remedy to various ailments. Not only for humans, but in animals as well – providing essential vitamins, minerals and a variety of health-supporting bioactive compounds.

Feeding your Herd Garlic
One segment that has been utilizing spices in this way is the cattle industry. On top of conventional solutions, some ranchers have turned to garlic powder as a natural product to include in their fly control program. Cattle fed with garlic emit an odor through their skin and breath that can deter flies. It can be a safe, natural, easy-to-use solution, compatible with specialized diets such as grass-fed and organic. It’s also cost-effective, adding up to about $0.01 to $0.02 per head per day.

It may even improve palatability. “The cows that don’t typically eat the plain mineral enjoy the garlic flavor,” beef producer Chance McKinney explained. “So when they come up to eat the garlic, I know they are getting fly control and nutrients.”

What’s in Garlic and how does it Work for Fly Control
Garlic’s mode of action against flies comes from its defense mechanism as a plant. When garlic bulbs are disturbed — sliced or crushed, for example, a chemical reaction takes place inside the plant that releases sulfurous compounds with a strong odor that helps ward off attacks from pests.

When garlic is ingested, an animal’s organism absorbs these compounds, which can have the same action against pests as the odor is emitted through the animal’s skin and breath.

Flies are repelled by the smell and don’t land on the animals. One recent study found a more than 50% reduction of flies on cattle supplemented with garlic powder compared to control groups.

What makes Spices by ofi Garlic Different
Spices’ proprietary, virus-free program produces healthy, non-GMO garlic. 9+ years of careful tending, each cycle, makes it one of the highest yielding garlic varieties commercially available. In turn, producing more cloves of high-quality, full-flavored garlic on fewer acres of land — minimizing the use of water, fuel, fertilizer and pesticides.
Spices by ofi is proud to provide its animal nutrition customers with safe, natural ingredients to support animal health and well-being. Now available online at www.olamspices.com – offering transparent pricing and real-time availability.