Anacardium Occidentale
Cashews are as unique in shape as they are in flavor. One serving of this tiny nut contains more than 2x the amount of iron as spinach per 100 grams1,2. Cashews contain 4 grams of plant protein and are a good source of copper, manganese and magnesium2 — magnesium is important for energy production, immunity, and bone health3.
Cashews come from cashew trees (Anacardium occidentale) and are native to warm and tropical regions in South America, Africa and Asia. The cashew tree produces a long fleshy stalk, called a cashew apple, which resembles a small pear. At the end of this stalk grows the kidney-shaped cashew nut. The vast majority of raw cashew nuts originate from small family-owned farms of 2-12 acres or less in Brazil, India, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Tanzania. It’s estimated that it takes over 170,000 farms to produce the 340 million pounds of cashews that are consumed in the U.S. each year.
Our cashew nuts are processed in state-of-the-art, fully-mechanized processing facilities in India and Vietnam, as well as in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, where the experience, skills and technologies are being developed. Our efforts to process more cashew nuts where they are grown is part of our commitment to lifting up farmers and farming communities around the world. This provides large-scale employment opportunities, adult literacy programs, and the opportunity for women in rural communities to earn cash incomes.
Our suppliers adhere to rigid food safety standards, have precision grading and sorting capabilities to deliver consistent quality cashews, and are HACCP and BRC-certified to offer full traceability to international standards.
Once the cashew nuts are shelled, sorted and graded, they make their long journey across the Atlantic, where they arrive at our three manufacturing facilities for further cleaning, sorting and inspection before they are deemed roast ready.
1. Nutrition source: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release, SR Legacy, April 2019 https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170162/nutrients
2. Nutrition source: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release, SR Legacy, April 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170162/nutrients