1. Who is Coleman Royal Bakeries? 
   
   We are a small/growing South African business making a luxury range of gluten-free flour and gluten-free premixes, and we LOVE it when you succeed baking gluten-free. 
   The owner is a chemical engineer with gluten, dairy and egg challenges.
   
   Please share your success stories with us: send us one or two lines with a picture of your baked good, including the packet of Coleman Royal Bakeries' product you used behind it. It's delightful for us to see you winning and stretching boundaries. 
   
   info@colemanroyalbakeries.co.za
   
   
   
2. Is Coleman Royal Bakeries range tested gluten-free and suitable for coeliacs (celiacs)?
   
   Yes, our formulations are each laboratory-tested gluten-free by FACTSSA, and production is dedicated to gluten-free products only. Therefore it is suitable for coeliacs.
   
   
   
3. Is Coleman Royal Bakeries range certified Kosher or Halaal? 
   
   No, not yet. (Certifications take a lot of resources.) We also do not use meat or animal products.
   
   
   
4. Is Coleman Royal Bakeries range vegan? 
   
   Yes, the entire range is vegan. We do not include eggs or dairy products in our premixes. The yeast included with various products is vegan, but can also be omitted, using baking powder if preferred. All our other ingredients are of plant origin (except salt, i.e. ordinary sodium chloride, which is never truly of plant origin, but is also not of animal origin. It's a mineral). Please note, for the instructions on the back of packages, you would need to follow the allergy substitutes to ensure no egg, dairy or butter is used when making the premixes.
   The Tips page on our website has additional support guidelines for dairy-free and egg-free baking. This is meant as further support to you when using your own ordinary recipes, with the flour substituted with Coleman Royal Bakeries' Gluten-free Plain Flour. 
   
   
   
5. Is Coleman Royal Bakeries range suitable for diabetics? 
   
   The Gluten-free Plain Flour could be used, although it contains starches, much like ordinary cake flour, so proceed with caution and please check with a doctor. The newer bread/pizza and rolls mixes released at the end of 2023 (identified by barcodes starting with 7 - and yes, produced in South Africa), whilst they contain starches and a small amount of sugar for the yeast, are high in fibre. It's possible that these may be used, but again, please check with your doctor.
   
   For most of the rest of the products, NO, because they contain sugar in the normal proportions used in baking.  
   
   
   
6. Is Coleman Royal Bakeries a health range? 
   
   Yes and no.
   
   The 'yes' part of the answer is for those who cannot have gluten due to immune issues (for example Coeliacs/celiacs) or those who can see side effects when they do have gluten. If you suspect gluten could be causing you health issues, here are some guidlines:
   
   There are many peer-reviewed medical and scientific research papers published on government health department websites, and on medical and scientific journal websites (i.e. credible sources, rather than just articles and blog/chat sites), linking gluten to certain diseases and conditions. Where there are multiple research papers with similar findings by other scientists/doctors, this lends weight to the findings. Start by doing your own research, if you suspect your condition or symptom could be linked to gluten (and/or dairy). (Type your search into a search engine, and then select websites by using the above guidelines for what are credible resources to read. A hint: every research paper contains a summary of findings, in the beginning. So you don't need to get bogged down by too much detail and statistical analysis, unless you want to. Some people also check who funded the research, to confirm it is truly without bias. In the author's opinion, this is often not necessary in the case of gluten studies, because most of the gluten-free producers are not large enough to fund multiple medical studies, unlike pharmaceutical giants.)
   
   There are also blood tests available. For blood tests, a dietician is a good place to start, especially one who specialises in coeliac/celiac condition (whether or not you suspect coeliac, but especially if you suspect gluten-sensitivity), because these dieticians who specialise in coeliac / celiac condition are often up-to-date on the latest test gluten-sensitivity blood test methods as well as the other conditions gluten causes, which not all G.P.'s are familar with. As the body of research grows, so new test methods become available.
   
   Alternatively, you could also do an elimination diet, abstaining rigorously for six months, to check for improvements. 'Rigorously' is the key word, however. The villi in the small intestine are attacked by ANY gluten, in susceptible individuals. The villi need time to regrow; inflammation in the body needs time to subside; and the effects of better nutrient absorption, due to villi regrowth, needs time to take effect in the rest of the body.  For this reason, reducing gluten or having the occasional cheat will mean you need to start the 'six month clock' all over again, if you are doing an elimination diet. Gluten is hidden in many items (including soya sauce, some gummy sweets, some chocolates including drinking hot chocolate, sauces, etc.). Label reading is initially tedious but gets easier, once you know what products are safe.
   
   Then having a laboratory-tested gluten-free option is healthier than eating the equivalent gluten version. 
   
   The 'no' part of the answer is because any treat, like chocolate cake, is not a health product. It is a treat. (And we're quite happy to keep it that way!)   
   
   At Coleman Royal Bakeries we LOVE helping you to make gluten-free treats successfully. The flour and premix formulations are laboratory-tested gluten-free. We don't use preservatives, flavourings and colourants. We stick to old-fashioned ways of baking in the kitchen, so that you too can produce a luxury home-baked product. (The E-numbers on our ingredient lists are the well-known Royal Baking Powder. Royal Baking Powder (Mondelez) has confirmed their baking powder is gluten-free.)   
   
   Luxury in foods is associated with smaller scale harvesting of a natural resource, as opposed to processed substitutes. Our chocolate and vanilla products are luxury products made with Belgian chocolate and Bourbon vanilla (see below). The cocoa beans are also sustainably sourced.   
   
   Convenience: We include other conveniences, like packing the (dairy-free) chocolate drops separately for the Belgian chocolate cake, so you can omit them if you have a soya allergy; sachets of yeast in some of the product packs which can be omitted for yeast allergy but also eliminate needing to remember to buy it; and, for the most part, we have provided larger pack sizes than ‘similar’ companies so you can bake and still have something substantial left for the cookie jar after the (family) gannets have attacked it. This also allows people to stick to their allergy diet better, whilst saving the family cook time.   
   
   
   
7.  Is Belgian chocolate the same as cooking chocolate?   
   
   No, they are almost at opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum. Good quality Belgian and Swiss chocolate contain a minimum of 35 % cocoa, and often contain no other low-grade sources of fat. We use Belgian chocolate 'drops' with 54.5 % cocoa  (38 % fats as cocoa butter, and no other fats), as well as a 'high fat' cocoa powder (cocoa butter is the fat), all from sustainably sourced beans, in our chocolate premixes. This is unlike most other companies who tend to use a cooking/baking chocolate in their premixes. Cooking chocolate can and usually does contain hydrogenated fats and/or other lower grade fats exclusively, and is not subject to the same minimum cocoa content requirement (and therefore often does not contain any cocoa butter, which is another expensive commodity).  
   
   For interest only, the next time you are in the shops, look at whether the cheaper chocolate brands label what looks like a slab of white chocolate a "confection bar". Many of them no longer contain any cocoa (due to price) and are therefore not allowed to call it chocolate. Cocoa has become expensive.   
   
    
8. What’s special about Bourbon vanilla powder?  
   
   It’s like black gold, for its price! Not all vanilla powder comes from the Bourbon Isles. The Bourbon Isles are Reunion (the original Bourbon Island), Madagascar, Seychelles, and Mauritius. Bourbon vanilla countries also extend on to the mainland of Africa in the same region (e.g. Uganda), where the climate is similar to the neighbouring islands. Bourbon vanilla commands a higher price than Tahitian or Mexican vanilla. (Like wines, views on flavour profiles vary.) Nevertheless, the Bourbon Vanilla Powder holds its reputation as the king of vanillas, as evidenced by the price. The powder contains no sweeteners, gums or thickeners (unlike the paste). We use the pure unadulterated powder.    
   
   
   
9. Where else can I buy Coleman Royal Bakeries Gluten-free products?    
   
   Please see this page: Stores 
   
   
   
10. What are your shipping / delivery rates?
    
    Please see this page: Delivery

If your question has not been answered, please feel free to email us: info@colemanroyalbakeries.co.za

Most of all, we'd love you to have fun when baking and eating gluten-free. 

May your creativity grow as you succeed!