EN
The golden harvest of the savanna.
The Bondoukou line is being built to produce West African cashew — from orchard to calibrated kernel — for demanding roasters, chocolatiers and distributors. This is the programme it is designed around.
Grades & specifications.
Standard AFI grade nomenclature, which is what a European buyer’s quality team will benchmark against. Counts are per pound; tolerances and moisture limits will be stated on every contract.
| Grade | Count / lb | Description | Typical use | Planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W180 | 160–180 | “King of cashews” — largest whole white kernel | Gifting, premium retail packs | Phase 2 |
| W210 | 200–210 | Large whole white kernel | Retail, snacking | Phase 2 |
| W240 | 220–240 | Attractive whole white kernel | Snacking, roasting | Phase 1 |
| W320 | 300–320 | Most widely traded whole white grade | Roasting, industrial | Phase 1 |
| W450 | 400–450 | Smallest whole white kernel | Industrial, confectionery | Phase 1 |
| SW | — | Scorched wholes — light colour deviation, sound kernel | Roasting, coating, paste | Phase 1 |
| B / S | — | Butts and splits | Bakery, chocolate inclusions | Phase 1 |
| LWP / SWP | — | Large and small white pieces | Cereal, spreads, industrial | Phase 1 |
Phase allocation indicative — confirmed against the final line configuration.
Seven steps between the shell and the vacuum pack.
The processing sequence the Bondoukou plant is being designed around.
Steam conditioning
Raw nuts are steamed to loosen the shell without cooking the kernel or touching its colour.
Shelling
Mechanical shelling calibrated by nut size to protect whole-kernel outturn.
Drying
Controlled drying to bring moisture into specification and release the testa.
Peeling
Peeling and hand finishing — the step that decides how a white kernel actually looks.
Grading
Calibration by size and colour into the grades above, with manual quality control.
Inspection
Metal detection, foreign-body control and moisture verification on every lot.
Vacuum packing & loading
Kernels vacuum-packed under nitrogen in food-grade liners, cartoned, palletised and loaded into conditioned containers — with the lot reference travelling on the carton.
- Packing
- Vacuum-packed under nitrogen — format agreed per contract
- Moisture
- Target and contractual maximum stated per contract
- Shelf life
- Stated per contract, under agreed storage conditions
What will travel with the goods.
Documentation is part of the product. Every shipment is planned to leave with the paperwork an importer’s quality team expects to see.
Phytosanitary certificate
Issued at export, with treatment and origin details for the lot.
Certificate of analysis
Moisture, defect and count verification per lot.
Traceability record
Cooperative of origin, buying station, processing date and container reference.