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The processing unit has a capacity of 400 tons of raw shells per year, which corresponds to an amount of around 80 tons of shelled cashews.
The modern packaging facility has even more capacity. The goal is to also package the shelled nuts of the local cooperatives here in the future. Because professional packing immediately after shelling has a significant impact on the quality and shelf life of the nuts.
Until now, gebana Afrique sourced its cashews exclusively from cooperatives that peeled the nuts. Due to repeated quality and delivery problems, however, gebana decided at the beginning of 2010 to establish its own processing facility. This is intended to supplement the cooperatives' production and guarantee an annual minimum quantity of high-quality cashews.
In addition, the in-house production serves two further purposes: first, around 100 long-term, year-round jobs will be created. This enables the workers from the seasonal mango production to obtain permanent employment and better utilises gebana Afrique's capacities. Second, gebana Afrique wants to acquire the know-how of cashew processing and use the facility as a training and model unit. This is intended to generally improve the quality of cashews from the region and better justify the high quality demands towards the supplier cooperatives.
Achieving the highest quality also poses a major challenge for the in-house production. Thus, training the workers was the most time-consuming task in implementing the project. Since many work steps from the raw nut to the shelled kernel are required over several days, controlling in which every step is precisely documented and monitored is indispensable. However, many of the employees could hardly read or write. The training of the workers therefore had to start at this point.
But the effort apparently pays off: the feedback from gebana's raw material customers on the first samples from the new production has been extremely positive. We are pleased to offer the new harvest of cashew nuts from our own production for direct shipping as well -> order here.