The small cashew nut, great success in the world

The cashew nut in Brazil has as its main producers the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte.

Characteristics of cashew tree – The cashew tree can reach up to 10 meters high, with crown proportional to size, rounded, reaching the ground. Tortuous and branched trunk. It has rosy leaves when young and green afterwards. Its flowers are small, pinkish and perfumed.

Cashew Fruit – Cashew is a pseudo-fruit (accessory fruit). The part of yellow, orange or red coloration is formed by the peduncle that is developed and it contains the fleshy and succulent pulp.
The true fruit is well-known as "cashew nut"; small, dark in color and hard in consistency. The cashew time fruiting occurs in spring and summer.

Cashew Nut Specifications

According to the AFI (Association of Foods Industries) which establishes standards available in the market, nut kernels are classified based on two criterias: structural or physical integrity (size) of the kernel, ie. whether it is broken or whole, and color, ie. ranging from pale-yellow to creamy and / or slightly toasted (the inferior type).

The types are offered according to the harvest and according to AFI specifications. Whole kernels are classified into 5 sizes: 180, 210, 240, 320 and 450. These sizes are classified according to the kernels per pound weight and the kernels are classified as first, second, third and fourth quality according to their color.

Only the first and second qualities are sorted by size.
W3 and W4 types are not sorted by size.