Achal – HAND IN HAND partner a India

Organic and fair-trade cashew kernels from a model company

The Indian West coast is the place where Rapunzel procures its fair-trade organic cashew kernels. There, the family company Achal Industries cooperates with numerous farmers and processes the cashew kernels. Our HAND IN HAND partner Achal is a genuine model company with an extraordinary social commitment.

"My job at Achal is peeling the organic cashew kernels. I enjoy working here, because the company provides a safe job for me", confirms Padmavathi. She is one of nearly 800 fully employed staff in the family-run processing company. Achal buys best-quality cashew nuts from approximately 6,000 organic peasants and takes its responsibility for the supply chain very seriously.

Rapunzel has been sourcing cashew kernels from Achal already since 1996 and in 2004, Achal became a HAND IN HAND partner. HAND IN HAND stands for consistent organic cultivation, high social standards and guaranteed fair-trade - from the cashew tree all the way to the consumption of the Cashew kernels.

Achal in brief

Family company that was founded in 1981, processing of cashew kernels, located in Southwest India
Cooperation with 6,000 peasant families in Goa and Maharashtra
Organically certified since 1996; start of the cooperation with Rapunzel
HAND IN HAND partner since 2004

Giridhar Prabhu, managing director of Achal, takes the responsibility for the supply chain serious

Anniversary event - A quarter of a century of partnership

The cooperation between Rapunzel and Achal celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2021. To celebrate the long-standing partnership, the two partners organised a special event. 25 cents per pack of the anniversary product, Cashew Kernels Jumbo, was invested in two projects in India – in addition to the HAND IN HAND premium.

In this way, Achal supports the installation of school gardes and finances teachers for environmental education programs. The schoolchildren in turn develop a fascination for organic agriculture, for a healthy and sustainable diet and for environmental protection.

Early environmental education is an important contribution for social transformation.

In order to increase the biodiversity in cashew plantations, Achal supports the peasant families with tree seedlings and with training on mixed cultivation. These measures improve erosion protection, they facilitate plant health and strengthen the robustness of the plantations. At the same time, they improve soil fertility. This helps nature - and secures the farmers a long-term income from cashew nut cultivation.

School gardens support environmental education

Rapunzel besucht Sitti Chihabiddine (links) und ihre Mitarbeiterinnen in Moroni.

A very special tropical nut

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Giridhar Prabhu, owner of the Achal processing plant, is convinced: There is still a great deal of research to be done regarding the history of the cashew (nut). It dates back to the 16th century, when the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the cashew tree in Brazil, after which they introduced it to India and other parts of the world. Interest only subsequently arose in the tropical tree’s strange fruit – to be more precise, in the “nut”, which actually is the cashew seed. This is because only one grows per fruit, in the form of a small, kidney-shaped projection on the outside of the so-called cashew apple.

Each pseudo-fruit has only one single cashew nut

Nowadays, organic cashew trees are cultivated in the states of Goa and Maharashtra in western India, which, alongside other trees, can be used for various purposes. For example, they are used as building material or firewood, in addition to increasing biodiversity. The cashew trees grow naturally. As a result, in many cases, they are not grown on plantations. They are popular in local agriculture as they are not only low in maintenance; their deep root system also prevents soil erosion.

During the harvest season from March to May, the farming families wait for the ripe cashew apples to fall from the trees, after which they are carefully collected. The nutrient-rich nuts are then manually separated from the cashew apples and subsequently gently dried in the sun. Achal sources the nuts directly from the farmers, after which they are processed in modern facilities.

In the long run, the farmers profit from a greater biodiversity

The farmers consume the remaining cashew apples themselves. The slightly tart-tasting accessory fruits are used to make drinks, jams and chutneys. This sustainable approach to cashew cultivation is reflected in every product, which Achal processes with dedication and quality. This way, tradition and sustainability are combined in every nut.

Pioneer for cashew processing

Achal Industries processes the raw organic cashew kernels in its processing plants in Mangalore in the federal state of Karnataka and in Turkewadi in Maharahstra. in the first step, the kernels are dried for some more time in the sun. Next, they are heated at 130° in a steam bath that softens the outer skin. Once the skin has been softened, the kernels can be opened without hurting the core. Then, the kernels are mechanically cracked and slightly dried in a hot air chamber. The core skin gets removed and the kernels are sorted according to size and packaged for transport.

Steam treatment has a considerable advantage compared with the alternative, traditional roasting method: most of the aggressive acidic substances that are found between the core skin and the shell of the cashew nuts are deactivated by heat. In the traditional roasting process, these substances form toxic fumes. Heating with steam is a much more controlled process: no toxic fumes are formed and the acids in the core skin are eliminated at the same time. Achal was the first company in the region with a modern processing plant. Over the years, Achal continuously developed the processing technology and improved the occuptional safety for its workers.

Drying of the cashew kernels at Achal

Achal combines clean technology with valuable manual labor

Other work steps, however, like the peeling process, are deliverately done manually in order to ensure the high quality of Achal cashew kernels. "At Achal, we pay attention to a perfect combination of clean technology and genuine manual labor", emphasizes company owner Giridhar Prabhu. "This way, we can ensure the high quality of our cashew kernels for our customers. Nothing gets wasted. Every byproduct from a processing step has its value and its benefit." Workers receive protective gloves and oil to protect their hands effectively against residual acid.

Rapunzel besucht Sitti Chihabiddine (links) und ihre Mitarbeiterinnen in Moroni.

Female workers are responsible for the excellent quality of the peeled cashew kernels

This is how fair-trade cashew nut production works

The HAND IN HAND program is good for all the people who participate in the supply chain. In addition to fair prices, long-term and reliable cooperation and purchase guarantees, the peasant families also profit from fair-trade through training classes for organic cultivation and for the preservation of biodiversity. Moreover, the HAND IN HAND bonus gives the peasant families better access to medicinal services in the form of "medical camps".

HAND IN HAND also provides job security to the Achal workers.

The social services that Achal Industries provide by far exceed legal requirements. The workers are employed year-round and can count on maternity leave, paid vacation, paid sick days, health insurance and an additional pension insurance that is provided by the company.

A free-of-charge breakfast, a company-operated bus service, a company kindergarten as well as scholarships and book fees for their children further support the workers.