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In the 1970s, cashew trees were introduced into the province of Choluteca, the poorest province in Honduras, because the severely-eroded soil made it difficult to produce enough food to feed the villagers. The cultivation of cashew nuts provided desperately needed jobs, but for many years the only option for small farmers was to sell their cashews at low prices on the local market.
Eventually, the farmers were able to organize into a cashew cooperative that today supports 50 cashew growers from 5 communities. The cooperative pays a fairer price for raw cashews and has its own processing plant, which returns more income to the growers and provides work for women and youth from the surrounding area.
In partnership with Just Cashews, a U.S. non-profit importer of cashews and member of the Fair Trade Federation, the cashews have been able to reach the fair trade market. Their certified organic cashews are hand-picked and processed, and slow roasted in adobe ovens. SERRV customers love their sweet, nutty flavor!
