Ghana Cashew Nuts
The Benchmark For All Other Cashew Varieties

The fat that cashew nuts grown in Ghana contain, is typically monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. This sort of fat is similar to that found in olive oil and is vital for heart health. Studies have revealed that consuming a small number of Ghanaian cashew nuts daily reduces the risk of heart disease. A diet rich in Ghanaian cashews also helps maintain healthy blood pressure through the improvement of the responsiveness of an essential blood pressure control mechanism called the 'baroreflex'.

Ghanaian cashews are also a great source of protein, making them an ideal dietary supplement for people who follow a solely vegetarian/vegan diet, and a nutritious alternative for those dieting. These cashews contain a high amount of vital minerals such as phosphorus, that help in maintaining healthy bone density and teeth, and magnesium, which promotes energy release and bone growth. Cashews also provide small amounts of other essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, and selenium.

Cashews nuts from Ghana are also recognized for being rich in vitamins K, B and E. They are great sources of iron, which plays a crucial role in the formation of hemoglobin (an vital component of red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body).
However, the nut isn't the only part of the cashew that offers important health benefits. The cashew apple is also a versatile fruit that's incredibly rich in vitamin C. The apple can be eaten right after harvest or made into juice which is highly nutritious and refreshing. Cashew apple juice is known for being a low calorie drink, with two hundred milliliters of the juice containing only about sixty two calories.

Owing to the high-fat content in Ghanaian cashew nuts, they are in constant demand by confectioners, nut retailers, and bakeries from all across the globe. Why? Because baked goods and confectionary products taste better when nuts with a high-fat content (such as the cashew nuts typically grown in Ghana) are utilized. The fact that these nuts are high in fat content is also a sign that they contain a lot of essential oils which are carriers for all the nutritional, mineral and vitamin content.

Studies have found that the fat content of the kernels of Ghanaian cashew nuts contain iodine, which indicates that the kernel fat is comprised of primarily non-drying, highly unsaturated fat that also may contain high levels of oleic and linoleic acids which are recognized for their anti-aging, moisture-retention, and acne-control properties.

The peroxide index (PV) is a measure of the degree of oxidation of fats or the storage stability of fats and oils. For cashew nuts grown in Ghana, the grain peroxide, this value ranges from 14 to 18 meq/kg, well above the acceptable level of 5 meq/kg. This is owing to the fact that Ghanaian cashews are harvested during the dry season as wetter weather is correlated with lower PV values.

Today, suppliers prefer importing raw Ghana cashew nuts because they are extremely shippable and have a long shelf-life. The high acid content (which is an indication of the chemical breakdown of fats) and low moisture content of Ghanaian cashew nuts signify that they are able to retain their high nutritional qualities through all harvesting, processing, and packaging procedures.

Only ripe, mature cashew apple nuts are picked. The Ghanaian cashew plantations we partner with do this daily to prevent and mitigate widespread spoilage.

The nuts are adequately sun-dried immediately after harvest for three to four days till the moisture content drops down to anywhere between 10 and 12%, or until the kernels crack in the shell. Drying is always carried out on a hard floor to ensure maximum efficacy.

These dried cashew nuts are always stored in hessian bags and not piled on the floor of storage rooms. We do so to avoid creating humid conditions in the storage facilities which lead to crop spoilage. We avoid storing nuts in woven HDPE bags as they tend to elevate moisture levels. The packed hessian bags are then placed on wooden pallets to avoid direct contact with the ground.
All our storage facilities are well ventilated, free from insects, and have humidity-control mechanisms in place.
We also make sure not to store freshly harvested and dried nuts along with old nuts as they can act as a source of insect infestation. The use of clean or new bags is always followed when storing newly harvested cashews and our storage facilities are cleaned everyday.
The stringent implementation of these procedures is what helps us in supplying our clientele spread all across the planet, with the highest quality of both raw and processed cashew nuts from Ghana.