Products
Afokantan Benin Cashew, SA. produces cashew nut kernels from outgrowers in a plant that has a capacity to process up to 1,500 MTon raw nuts per year into 200 MTon of cashew nut kernels for the export market.
Pride of Africa:
Afokantan produces all her kernels under the brand Pride of Africa (POA),
which is exclusively marketed by the Dutch nut broker Global Trading & Agency B.V. (GTA)
Market:
Cashewnut kernels are mainly used by clients for the snack market as a roasted and salted snack. Due to the lovely taste, the cashewnut is seen as an upper class nut. The cashewnut is becoming of more and more interest to industrial users and is as such used for cookies, cereals and is also promoted as a topping on ice-cream.The cashewnut is probably one of the most exciting nuts that grows, hanging under an apple that is being used for juice, for example. The nut itself is protected by a very strong shell, that needs to be roasted/steamed before it can be shelled. The shell contains a high percentage of liquid, which makes the shell prefect for fuelling the ovens that dry down the kernels.
Harvest time Raw Cashew Nuts:With an annual production exceeding 65’000 Mtons, Benin is the tenth largest producer of RCNs with approximately 4% of world production. Cashew trees are well adapted to 8 out Benin’s 12 administrative regions, the most productive area being in the central part of the country (where ABC is located). The Raw Cashew Nuts are harvested from January to April in Benin.
Grades / Varieties Kernels:
Whole grades (kernels per LBS): W180, W210, W240, W320, W450.
Broken grades (we only mention the main grades in the first colour grade) : Butts, Splits, LWP, SWP.
These grades are also graded on 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd and 4th class product and to distinguish between the various classes, the following terms are used : White (W), scorched (S), second scorched (SS) and dessert (D).
