In an increasingly complex world, how do African cashews, international trade, and the US economy relate? Participants at the 7th ACA Annual Conference in Cotonou, Benin, will gain insight into this question with the help of Christopher Thornberg, one of the most anticipated speakers to be featured during the Plenary Session on September 18. Mr. Thornberg is an American economist and a founding partner of Beacon Economics, a leading California firm.
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At the end of June, ACA said goodbye to a valued team member, Grace Hoerner. Grace had been with the ACA for exactly one year, working as a Communications Assistant, and was instrumental in implementing a major overhaul of ACA’s communications strategy. Originally from New Jersey, in the United States, Grace came to work at the ACA through Princeton in Africa, a program that seeks to develop young leaders committed to Africa’s advancement through yearlong fellowships with a variety of organizations that work across the African continent. After leaving Ghana, Grace reflected on her time...
Red River Foods, one of the largest cashew kernel buyers in the world, has joined the Advisory Board of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA). "We recognize the growing importance and future potential of Africa in the global cashew industry. ACA has provided an excellent gateway for Red River Foods to establish business operations in Africa. We are excited to continue working with ACA and its partners to bring added value to all participants in the supply chain," said Dan Phipps, Senior Vice President of Red River Foods.
The...
On May 25, Tolaro Global, a cashew processing factory located in Parakou, Benin, became the first processor to be awarded the ACA Quality and Sustainability Seal.
The ACA Quality and Sustainability Seal is an industry-supported mark signaling compliance with international food safety, quality, and labor standards. During the past five months, Tolaro Global has been implementing the Seal program, working with the ACA Seal team to develop systems to ensure the production of high quality and sustainable cashew. With the support of Technoserve, trainings and exercises...
“People say you can’t have quality food producing factories in Africa. And we wanted to prove that wrong,” said Jace Rabe, CEO of Tolaro Global, a cashew processing factory located in Parakou, Benin. Now, having become the first processor to be awarded the ACA Quality and Sustainability Seal, Tolaro Global has done just that....
ACA has announced that registration is now online for the 7th ACA Annual Conference and World Cashew Expo 12, themed “The Future is Now!” The event will be held in Palais de Congrès in Cotonou, Benin from 17 to 20 September, 2012.
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Every year, millions of tons of cashew apples go to waste throughout Africa, as farmers and processors lack the necessary expertise and equipment to take advantage of the opportunity the cashew apple represents.
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On Friday May 11, ACA Managing Director Christian Dahm, USAID West Africa Acting Director Lisa Franchett, and the President of BOAD (Banque Ouest Africaine de Developpement, or the West African Development Bank) Christian Adovelande signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Lome, Togo to improve access to finance for investments in cashew processing. ...
When confronted with a problematic market situation early this cashew season, cashew processors in Burkina Faso decided to take action via a unique tool: the radio.
In March, RCN prices in Burkina were higher or equivalent to the other countries of the sub-region. However, farmers were still holding nuts, hoping that the prices will increase more. Farmers are typically not aware of current price trend in the international and West African market. In addition, they often do not realize that to be competitive, the Burkinabe nut needs to be cheaper than in other countries due to the...
Nearing the mid-point of West Africa’s cashew season, much uncertainty remains internationally about this year’s RCN crop. A late start to arrivals from West African destinations has already had begun to push international RCN and kernel prices slightly upward. Here, we offer our perspective on trends that have characterized the season so far:
Production Volumes Below Previous Years
Almost all of Africa’s cashew producing countries have seen lower than normal production volumes this year. Cote d’Ivoire, by far Africa’s largest producer of RCN, is expected to...
