25 t
raw cashew nuts a day,
installed capacity
2007
year Vertex Agro
was founded
9
countries our cashew and
sesame exports have reached
4
Kogi State communities in
our farmer-training programme
Fewer hands between the farm and your warehouse
Africa grows more than 40% of the world's cashews, but only 10–15% of them are processed on the continent. Most raw nuts are shipped to Asia to be shelled, then sold on again.
​
We shell, grade and pack in Nigeria, close to the farms the nuts come from. You deal with one company that buys the raw nuts, processes them and ships them, and that can tell you where your nuts were grown.
40%+
of the world's cashews are grown in Africa
10–15%
are processed there
From farm to container, in our own hands
STEP 1
Buying from farmers we train
We buy raw cashew nuts directly from farming communities, and we train the people who grow them. In November 2021 we trained local trainers in Abocho, Etutekpe, Ochaja and Iyala (Dekina LGA, Kogi State), and they now pass that training on to farmers in their own clusters. Our aim is to buy all our raw nuts directly from local farmers, especially young people and women.
STEP 2
Drying and storage
Raw nuts are dried and stored in a ventilated warehouse on site until they're processed. Dry, well-stored nuts give whiter kernels with fewer defects.
STEP 3
Processing and grading
At our factory near Suleja, raw nuts are roasted, shelled, dried, peeled and graded. Kernels are sorted by size, colour and wholeness, so the grade on the carton is the grade in the carton.
STEP 4
Packing and export
Kernels are packed and shipped from Lagos. Cashew and sesame from Vertex has gone to buyers in Japan, Brazil, the UAE, Canada, the USA, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Guatemala and Turkey.
