Growing up, I always thought that flaxseed was something to be sprinkled on top of oatmeal or mixed into baked goods for an added boost of Omega-3 fatty acids. Thanks to Jolma, the creator of Amza Superfoods, I now know that with the addition of a few simple ingredients, flaxseed can be transformed into sweet and savory spreads that are delicious on their own or incorporated into other recipes.
One such recipe is barley bread swirled with ground flaxseed paste, something Jolma would eat on a daily basis in Redgong, a cultural hub in Tibet’s Amdo region, where she was born and raised. Another staple of Jolma’s childhood diet was Tsamba (AKA Tsampa), a nutrient-dense and culturally significant roasted barley flour that has sustained Tibetans for centuries (fun fact: the Dalai Lama has it every day for breakfast!).
Jolma learned to make Tsamba and other Tibetan foods from her late grandmother Sonam, whom she described as “indigenous, a nomad, a fabulous cook [who] couldn’t write.” Despite belonging to “a severely disadvantaged group,” Sonam understood the importance of education and inspired Jolma to embark on the journey that would lead her to become the first-ever girl from her village to earn a college degree: “I went to England to study English for a little bit, learning the ABCs at age 30, and then I came [to the United States] to continue my education. I needed to recharge myself. I originally had a degree in Tibetan literature and the Chinese language. I couldn’t do much here [with my degree], so I studied design, graphic design, web design.”
This career change eventually brought her to Portland, where she would become an entrepreneur after 17 years in the tech industry: “I came here for a job as a UX User Experience Design Consultant. I led a design team, and then that company decided to close its office in Portland, and then I got another job here. At the end of 2022, I decided to [launch Amza Superfoods], and then I quit [the] consulting job and I’ve been full-time for [Amza] since. We launched last year in April. It’s been a good journey, a tough one, but the one that I prefer.”
One of the major impetuses for starting Amza (which is the phonetic spelling of “Amdo food”) was Sonam’s passing in 2012: “I went home to say goodbye to her a decade ago, and on the way back, in the air, [in] the sky in the plane, I promised I would write this cookbook that my grandmother couldn’t. So that took many years because I was working full-time and [had] my son, and then that grew into a seed: I just took a few recipes and made [them] into products.”
Handcrafted weekly in Portland in small batches, Amza’s versatile and health-conscious products feature brown flaxseed and heirloom wholegrain purple karma barley, ingredients Jolma’s family grew in Tibet and that she now sources locally. The purple barley she uses, for example, comes from Sun Gold Farm in Forest Grove, Oregon, and was brought to the U.S. from Tibet: “It’s a Tibetan barley. It originated in Tibet for sure. In 1924, an American traveled to Tibet and brought back some seeds; the seeds lasted in a USDA seed bank in Idaho for nearly a century, and then, in recent years, they were revived [by the Oregon State Barley Project] and they’re now grown here.”
Drawing on her extensive knowledge and experience, Jolma decided to fill a significant gap in the American market by creating the first-ever U.S. exclusive collection of authentic Tibetan Breakfast Mixes, Tsamba snacks, and Flaxseed Spreads. While I have yet to try the No-Cook Tibetan Tsamba Breakfast Mix with Nuts & Dates, I can attest to the excellent quality and taste of all the other products, which I purchased as part of Amza’s beautifully wrapped Mid-Tier Marvel Gift Pack.
Free from added sugar, colorings, artificial flavors, and chemical additives, the delightful assortment comes with Tibetan Tsamba Balls with Oregon Hazelnuts, Tsamba Truffles with Dark Chocolate, Flaxseed Butter with Dates, and Flaxseed Spread with Chili & Turmeric. All four products are rich in fiber, protein, and antioxidants and made with certified organic, non-GMO, sustainably sourced ingredients.
TIBETAN TSAMBA BALLS WITH OREGON HAZELNUTS
I loved how the Tsamba Balls embrace Jolma’s Tibetan heritage and her newfound Oregon home (case in point: the balls consist of an Oregon hazelnut enveloped in Tsamba!) and that they have the perfect level of sweetness, thanks to the dates she gets from a regenerative farm in California.
TSAMBA TRUFFLES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE
The Tsamba Truffles, which Jolma describes as “modern Tsamba balls,” offer a divine, vegan-friendly alternative to a treat that is often high in calories, sugar, and fat. The addition of cacao nibs gives the truffles an extra satisfying crunch that perfectly complements the bittersweet taste.
FLAXSEED BUTTER WITH DATES
The Flaxseed Butter with Dates has a nutty, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, and more. I even enjoyed eating the spread on its own straight from the jar!
FLAXSEED SPREAD WITH CHILI & TURMERIC
My personal favorite, the Flaxseed Spread with Chili & Turmeric, has a lovely kick, thanks to yerma, AKA Sichuan pepper. I used the spread in grain bowls and salad dressings, though the possibilities are truly endless!
As I nibbled on samples of the balls, truffles, and spreads at the My Peoples’ Market back in November, Jolma explained, “This food sadly comes from an underrepresented culture. I’m doing something authentic, something new, always healthy, always quality, always good for you and good for the environment.” Speaking of the glass jars used for the flaxseed spreads, she noted, “Even though these are expensive, [I use them] because they are more eco-friendly than plastic ones.” She also mentioned that “we are in the process of transitioning to more eco-friendly bags” for the Tsamba balls and truffles.
When I asked Jolma about her long-term dreams, she told me: “I’d like us to be known as a healthy, food-sharing business that does good for people and the environment. I’d like for us and Tibetan food to be known beyond the [local] community. And as [the] first-ever girl from my village to earn a college degree, I want to sponsor women and girls for education and help them start small businesses.”
Though she didn’t mention it in our conversation, I should add that Jolma’s commitment to sharing Tibetan culture and empowering underserved Tibetan women long predates her business ventures. Years before launching Amza, she wrote on Beyond Her Kitchen, a blog where she shared photos and stories about Tibet, “I hope sharing my stories will eventually help encourage a Tibetan mother to send her daughter to school, or inspire a girl to move beyond her own kitchen and become a global citizen.” The name is an ode to something her grandmother once told her: “To discover the world, one must move beyond her own kitchen.” While she now uses the blog on Amza’s website as her primary writing outlet, I highly recommend checking out Beyond Her Kitchen if you’re interested in learning more about Jolma and Tibet.
I’ll conclude this post with a piece of wisdom from Jolma that I found particularly touching: “If you support small businesses, if you support something, you stand for something, you will get support from them.”
Visit Jolma’s website and blog to learn more and be part of her inspiring journey.
Amza Superfoods: https://amzasuperfoods.com
Beyond Her Kitchen: https://beyondherkitchen.com
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