Palm Wine Without Palm Trees? Onye’s Eco-Friendly Revolution Pt. 4
Our interview with winemaker Onye shares how Ikenga Wines is changing the future of wine—by making palm wine without palm trees. Through an environmentally conscious, source-agnostic method, Onye reduces deforestation and speeds up production while staying true to cultural roots.
Topic: Creating palm wine sustainably without harvesting palm trees
Guest: Onye, founder of Ikenga Wines
Environmental Impact: Avoids traditional palm farming to reduce carbon footprint and forest clearing
Production Philosophy: Source-agnostic and rooted in molecular replication of palm sap
The Journey: From 2019 epiphany to today’s artistic exploration of flavor and sensory expression
Palm Wine Variants: Focus on oil palm chemistry; acknowledges coconut and raphia varietals
Wine Styles: Experimental, seasonal, and undefined—exploring a “white space” of winemaking
Vision: If money were no object, Onye would open a store with food service and a portfolio of underrepresented global beverages
Takeaway: Palm wine is just the beginning of a much bigger adventure in redefining tradition through innovation
