Knowledge of the correlates of product quality is a prerequisite for further commercialization of soumbala, a food
product extracted from the leguminous tree Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) G. Don. In this study qualitative and quanti-
tative data derived from interviews of producers and expert users are used to estimate the influence of P. biglo-
bosa management practices, soumbala product processing practices, and nutritional composition of soumbala on
perceived soumbala quality. Several variables on management practices correlated with high quality soumbala
as revealed by binary logistic regression, with quality as the dependent variable and six management related vari-
ables as independent variables. Variables relating to product processing were examined using qualitative data from
group sessions, gathering all the producers in a given village. Finally the relationship between nutritional composi-
tion and soumbala quality was determined. The results show that local knowledge, management practices, and
product processing practices are correlated with soumbala quality, whilst nutritional composition is a poor pre-
dictor of soumbala quality.