commercially bottled palm wine is still rare in Nigeria and India. One notable exception is Pamii, a Lagos-based company aiming to bottle palm wine for a younger generation as an alternative to beer. However, for the most part, palm wine production remains a localized, cottage industry. Onye Ahanotu, a natural-born problem-solver, has set out to change this, asking himself the question, how can the essence of Nigerian celebration be captured in a stable product that can be
Forest Bathing," a project that offers an alternative experience of Oakland through generative soundscapes, images and time- lapses. In 2020, Ahanotu launched Ikenga Wines, blending his myriad passions—science, engineering, food and art. "Sometimes, what I do is more on the technical side, sometimes it’s more artistic, sometimes it’s a blend," he explains. "With Ikenga Wines, I feel like it is an attempt to fully blend them." He set out impassioned to combine science and art to create a sustainable product with soul. Drawing on his background in technology and food science, Ahanotu first turned to his father’s hometown in Nigeria to explore palm wine production. He tried bottling and preserving traditional palm wine from Nigeria for export, but several challenges emerged off the bat. The fermentation process proved too unpredictable, with some bottles overly sweet, others not sweet enough, and others developing undesirable, off flavors. Moreover, the environmental impact of palm wine production, which often involves deforestation, was a major deterrent. As an engineer committed to sustainability, Ahanotu knew he
enjoyed in the U.S.? The quest led the 37-year- old Rancho Cotate High grad to launch Ikenga Wines, a project that merges science, technology, food, art and culture. As far as he knows, he is the first to attempt such a feat. Growing up in
had to find a more innovative solution. Rather than simply following the traditional route, he approached palm wine production much like a winemaker would approach crafting a cuveé—applying unique skills and knowledge to impart a distinct flavor and experience to each bottling. In so doing, he sees himself as the first-ever "palm winemaker," refining and redefining the ancient beverage
Rohnert Park with a Nigerian father, Ahanotu observed the wine industry
Clockwise from top, a palm wine tapper, a glass of sparkling, and bottles of Traditional-ish Gold and Traditional-ish Red.
with his own expressions.
boom while also developing deep connections to his Nigerian roots, primarily through food and cooking. When it came time to venture off to college, torn between art and science, Ahanotu opted to study material and chemical engineering at UC Irvine. "Throughout my life, I was curious about how things work and how you can design things better," he recalls. It was during this period that he also began exploring the ties between food and chemistry, drawing particular inspiration from Alton Brown’s cooking show Good Eats. Ahanotu 's academic journey continued at the University of Michigan and later Harvard, where he focused on next-generation environmental technologies and food sciences. But, along the way, he never let go of his artistic pursuits, starting with drawing and painting before venturing into digital photography. Eventually, he expanded his creative oeuvre to include multimedia pieces, producing large-scale audio-visual projects such as "Urban
To achieve this vision, Ahanotu pioneered a new method of creating palm wine by synthesizing a molecular version
of palm sap, sourced from
plant-based components instead of directly from palm trees. He also collected naturally occurring
May 2025
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