The Benefits Of Salt

Benefits of Oryx Desert Salt

Sustainably harvested from an ancient, unpolluted underground salt lake in the Kalahari - pure, mineral-rich, and naturally full of flavour.

Naturally organic

100% PURE, CRYSTAL-WHITE, NATURAL DESERT SALT

Just as it existed when traded ounce for ounce for gold eight thousand years ago. We add nothing and we take nothing away.

SUNDRIED, UNREFINED, NO ADDITIVES

As nature intended – no additives, no anti-clumping agents, no preservatives. Dried by the hot African desert sun. Unrefined and unprocessed. The underground brine lake is 100% saturated, so it takes only 4 weeks for the salt to crystalise in our main harvest season in summer when the temperatures reach up to 47o.

FROM AN ANCIENT & PRISTINE SOURCE

The ancient Dwyka rock formations, through which the underground streams flow, are geo-scientifically tested to be 250-300 million years old. The 50km2 salt pan is situated in the Kalahari Desert of 900,000km2, inside the Kalahari Basin which spans an area of 2.5 million km². 50km’s south of Botswana and +-250km north of Upington. A remote, pristine and beautiful area. The name KALAHARI is derived from the Tswana word Kgalagadi, meaning ‘the great thirst’.

CONTAINS VITAL MINERALS & TRACE ELEMENTS

Oryx Desert Salt has all the essential minerals and trace elements that exist naturally in salt, including magnesium, zinc and potassium. It provides your body with the correct balance of these minerals, as nature intended, so they can be utilised and absorbed for optimal vitality and health.

“Salt imbalances can make us very ill. We need to embrace the ‘salt of the earth’ in order to replace vital minerals.”- Sue Visser, Health Researcher, Nature Fresh

Learn more about salt and its vital necessity to our HEALTH & WELLNESS here.

LOVED BY INTERNATIONAL CHEFS

Oryx Desert Salt has a unique and exceptional taste, which enhances and enriches the flavour of your food. Chefs from around the world taste the difference.

No dish at Restaurant is complete without a pinch of Oryx Desert Salt.

Jan Hendrik

South Africa’s first Michelin-star chef

ORYX desert salt is a great food salt. I use it as a salt on a day to day basis, as well as a finishing salt. The salt is everything I look for when it comes to flavour.

Craig Cormack

SALT restaurant, Waterford Wine Estate, Somerset West

SUSTAINABLE & RENEWABLE

The underground streams converge and replenish an ancient underground lake of 55 million tons from which the salt water is pumped, laid on the pan under the hot Kalahari sun and sun-dried. This process lives in harmony with the natural rainfall and the surrounding environment. We only extract what nature provides.

Learn more about our EARTH-FRIENDLY sustainability practices here .

GIVING BACK

The success of our business is built on the interconnection between a number of different partners and suppliers.

We believe in:
Impact sourcing (choosing to source locally where ever possible, supporting small, often women-owned businesses) and
Building collaborative relationships (for example, our chefs and cooking schools are valued ambassadors)
Contributing to previously marginalised communities. A percentage of our monthly turnover is donated to the Khomani San and Mier communities who own !Xaus Lodgein the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari Desert.
Learn more about our GIVING BACK ethos here .

GREAT TASTE

Salt may be the smallest ingredient in any meal, yet it has the biggest impact. Oryx Desert Salt has a unique taste that’s well rounded with a mineral-rich flavour that artisanal food makers, chefs and bakers love.

Its distinctive flavour profile means you use less salt for a more enriched flavour and we’ve created exclusive flavoured salts which offer exciting and unusual taste experiences:

CHILLI SALT - a full-flavoured salt that now adds a spark of chilli-fire warmth to any meal. Read the full story here.

BRAAI/ BBQ SALT - Jackie Cameron, a top South African chef, created the recipe for our Braai | BBQ salt. She developed a unique, natural process for getting the best flavour by using only fresh ingredients that have been specially freeze-dried and then ground. Oryx Braai | BBQ Salt is a delicious blend of pure, natural, sun-dried Oryx Desert Salt, garlic, sun-dried tomato, masala, coriander, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, turmeric, cumin, all spice and just a touch of sugar. It’s free from fillers, MSG, irradiated herbs and spices, colourants and preservatives.

Braai |BBQ salt is gently spicy and fragrant, with a warming taste profile. Presented in a convenient shaker, this salt brings out the best in food of all kinds ranging from the humble boiled egg to any dish requiring a sprinkle of flavourful yumminess. Read the full story here .

ARTISINAL FOOD MAKERS, CHEFS & BAKERS TASTE THE DIFFERENCE

I use this salt because I find that the flavour of the final product is better. Salt is a critical part of the curing process and the amount used is very precise in order to prevent the product from spoiling. With Oryx Desert Salt I don’t have to worry about the salt overpowering the flavour of the meat. I don’t use less but end up with a better product. I was using sea salt previously but prefer the flavour of the mineral salt.

Richard Bosman

Richard Bosman Charcuterie

t’s the only salt I use. It really has a fantastic flavour. In comparative tastings, the difference is immediately noticeable, and it fits in with my philosophy: to remain local.

Margot Janse

Francais, Franschhoek

Oryx Desert Salt has such a full, round flavour that I use less salt in my breads – just 40g per kg. I find sea salt and other commercial salts too intense and can both see and feel the different in the texture and even the smell of the loaf – salt kills the yeast in the alchemical process, but with Oryx Desert salt, I can mix it in the starter and it still allows for excellent fermentation.

Francois Zietsman

Baker

It’s not surprising then, that our salt and pepper sets have found their way onto the tables of many kitchens and restaurants in the country.

Essential for the life you want to live.