The standard way of de-shelling cashews around the world is to first boil or fry the cashew with the shell in oil to make the shell very brittle and easy to crack. This means the ‘raw’ cashews you buy in the supermarket have actually been fried. They are called raw because they have not been roasted, whereas in Indonesia our cashews are hand-cracked without first of all frying the cashew in the shell. This requires a lot of skill, but results in a product of superior flavor, texture and nutritional value. This process also allows the women of Biting to engage in the industry in a sustainable and flexible manner. Working together from home allows the ladies of our producer group to keep one eye on the kids while getting on with shelling the cashews, which has traditionally prevented them from joining the workforce. 

The heating process which is the norm in the cashew industry significantly degrades the product, as essential fatty acids and enzymes are destroyed. The special knives our producers use allow them to both pierce and split the tough outer shell of the unheated cashew nut. Once the shell has been broken to expose the cashew kernel producers use a thin stainless steel pick to pry the kernel out. These kernels are still encased in a thin red skin, or testa, which must be dehydrated to facilitate removal. For this process, our producers use either a solar method or dehydrator equipment. With both methods, the nuts are dehydrated at a maximum of 40º Celsius for 12-14 hours (solar dryers operate at approximately 35º) at which time the thin skin is rubbed from the kernel with cotton gloves. De-skinned cashews are then sent for final quality inspection where any imperfections are cleaned away with a scalpel. Finished cashews are graded only as Wholes, Splits or Pieces and are returned to dehydration for a final 4-6 hours to guarantee packaging at a minimum of 5% moisture content. The result is an artisan product of unique quality.

The processing necessary for our Really Raw Cashews is slow, relative to conventional processing, but the high quality and unbeatable flavour is unquestionable. As an example of this, typical cashews in India are processed at a rate of 12-14kg per worker, per day. Our Really Raw Cashews are processed at a rate of 4-5kg per worker, per day. This great disparity in processing capacities translates to a significant difference in price, which in turn leads to a serious temptation for buyers and manufacturers of raw food products to purchase industry-standard ‘raw’ cashews (defined as non-roasted though still heat-treated). Our standards and practices result in a fair price for our producers and a truly raw, cold-processed product.

Our Cashews are Fair Trade Certified by Control Union under Fair Choice.