Cashew

Cashew kernels are mainly used for the snack market as a roasted and salted snack. The worldwide demand for this incredibly appetizing snack is growing at 7% for the past decade. Called “the King of the Nuts” this plantation crop has become one of the most important Cash crops from Africa.

West African countries of Ivory Coast, BurkinaFaso, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Benin together account for 40% of the world’s production and are the second largest producer of raw Cashew nuts in the world.

Cashew growing has improved the lives of small scale farmers in these countries significantly. The impact has transformed their lives so much that they now refer to their orchards as a place where “money grows on trees”.

TANMONDIAL has diversified sourcing operations in these regions as we believe in supporting farm families by trade not aid. The success of our operation is because of our superior procurement and warehousing facilities in the remotest villages of the cashew growing areas. Also of vital importance is our relationship with farmers and other local suppliers; we pay a higher price for ensuring that the cashews are well dried before delivery at the warehouse for Quality Control by our inspectors at each point of purchase. Our Model of Buying, Sorting, Grading, final inspection and expedite shipment has given us a unique competitive position in the Cashew procurement sector of West Africa. It has also enabled us to meet the exacting quality requirements and execute timely customized supply contracts for our client processors in Vietnam and India.

SHEANUT

One of TANMONDIALs top traded commodity, Sheanut is found exclusively in the African Sahel. Shea trees can grow until they are 150 to 200 years; in the wooded savannah region of countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Every part of this indigenous tree is found to be useful and the nut has a fat content of over 50%. Commercially, the Vitamin A, E, F as well as a host of minerals and fatty acids are found in the pure form of Shea butter making it a highly lucrative commodity. Due to the amazing uses of Shea in rejuvenating and hydrating skin and hair; there has been a rising popularity of shea butter in the West. The application of Shea butter extends far beyond its use as a skin care product, it is of great value in the chocolate industry as well as in the field of medicine.

Aptly, named as the “women’s gold” of Africa; women have traditionally played a stellar role in extracting of Shea butter starting from the stage of collection of the Sheanut to it’s final processing into Shea butter. TANMONDIAL works with 10,000 women grouped into co-operatives directly in the Sheanut procurement regions of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali and Ivory Coast. This has not only generated monetary benefit for the company but has empowered the women involved to securing financial independence. Additionally, it has also enabled them to have a voice in community matters thereby boosting their sense of self-respect. With operations in several producing countries, our experience in procurement, market intelligence and relative knowledge of flowering patterns has ensured our competitive advantage. As an export commodity, the unprocessed Shea kernels has played an important part in our business growth and its success so far; with the rising demand of the commodity we will be able to further strengthen our position as a premium supplier of Shea kernels in the region.