The future is also bright on the buyer side, explains Verschoof. “Our nuts are available in the Netherlands via Johnny Cashew, and Lidl wants to offer the Way To Go! packets in other countries as well. We have also received a big order from the Tanzanian government, which is eager to order more next season. And our growth has made room for new customers.”

In 2021, Mama Cashew processed 250 tons of cashews that the company bought from 450 farmers. The company expects to buy twice as many nuts from 1,600 farmers in 2022. “That will put us at our current maximum capacity, until we expand to a larger factory.”

Verschoof is pleased with the result, both professionally and personally. “We set up this company based on our desire to improve the lives of smallholder farmers and to make the cashew chain more sustainable. To take care of our fellow humans. So it’s amazing to find consumers on the other end of the chain who also want to contribute to positive change by buying products like ours.”