Taiga Naturkost: Organic pine nuts (cedar nuts), nuts and dried fruits of the Siberian Taiga

The story behind Taiga Naturkost

Russian businessman Alexander Sojnikow founded a publishing house, Vega, in 1999 and translated spiritual works from his homeland into German. Initially, the publications focused on the landscape, myths and treasures of Siberia. He soon had the idea to bring one of these treasures of the Taiga to the West: the pine nut. Alexander and his son, Jaroslaw Sojnikow (40), believed that organic certification was crucial from the outset and in 2004, they became the first suppliers of Siberian pine products in Western Europe with the certification. So the spiritual publisher gradually turned into the thriving import company, Taiga Naturkost, and Jaroslaw is now the company's CEO.

Even though the seeds actually come from the Siberian pine (Pinus Sibirica), which is closely related to the Alpine pine, we prefer the term cedar nuts in Siberia. In older editions of the well-known Anastasia books (or The Buzzing Cedars of Russia) the Russian word for the 'kedr' tree was translated as cedar, but biologists discovered that it was actually Pinus Sibirica. Which means the 'kedr' is actually a pine.

Why buy pine products from Taiga Naturkost?

✔ An incomparable natural product
✔ Collected in the wild from the pinus sibirica
✔ Source of protein and unsaturated fatty acids
✔ Pronounced, aromatic taste
✔ 100% natural, raw and organic

Every year, the Taiga team – themselves native Russians - visit the Altai Mountains. They spend a few days with the harvesters/seasonal workers in the desolate wilderness and check the quality of the harvest.

Read more about the treasures of the Taiga...

The Altai Mountains: the home of the Siberian pines and their Pearls of the Taiga

Endless forests, pure air and crystal clear mountain streams. Welcome to the Altai Mountains, Russia's border region with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. This is the home of the Siberian pines with their majestic canopy, hiding a wealth of seeds in their cones. The nuts are full of nutritious minerals, vitamins and especially high levels of essential fatty acids. For Siberians, it's these qualities that make the pine nut the Pearl of the Taiga - and the Pine or Siberian pine, the Tree of Life. The mighty Siberian pine (Pinus Sibirica) dates back to the last ice age. Rarely found alone, and mostly growing in dense cedar forests, these forest giants dominate the Siberian primeval forests. The thousands of needles on these ancient pines capture the pure energy from the universe and store it in their needles, wood, pinecones and seeds. Siberian pine trees can live to be 500 to 700 years old and reach heights of 40 to 50 m.

"We've known pine nuts since childhood, but in the Soviet Union you could only buy them unshelled. Everyone had to pop them out themselves," recalls Russian composer, publisher and former CEO of Taiga Naturkost, Alexander Sojnikow (72).

From pinecone to Taiga gold

The pinecones are either picked up off the forest floor or shaken from the trees when the harvesters gently hit the trees with large wooden hammers. The pine nuts are sustainably shelled in the factory. The nuts are hurled against metal walls with a blower, causing their skin to burst. After extensive cleaning and sorting, a section of each seed is then vacuum-packed and prepared for shipment, while the other part is cold-pressed to produce high-quality pine nut oil, known as the 'Gold of the Taiga'.

The rich nutritional value of Siberian pine nuts

The high nutritional value of the pine nut lies in, among other things, its fats (approximately 90% unsaturated fatty acids, linolenic acid) and proteins (high content of essential amino acids). Siberian pine nuts are rich in iron, magnesium and trace elements such as manganese, copper, zinc and cobalt, but also in vitamins (especially the E and B groups). They have very high concentrations of vitamin E (16 mg/100 g = 160% daily requirement). The nutrients contained in pine nuts are enough to meet an adult person's 24-hour requirement for amino acids and trace elements.