From Raw to Owned: The Cashew Coast Story
This is the story of African production, branding and ownership through the eyes of one of West-Africa’s most visionary entrepreneurs.
Africa grows roughly 43% of the world’s raw cashew supply, but processes only about 10% of it — the rest is shipped out, mostly to Vietnam, and re-imported as finished kernels at a markup the continent never captures. Cashew Coast was built directly against that gap: a vertically integrated processor that buys from local farmers, processes at its own Azaguié facility, and exports finished, certified kernels straight to Europe, cutting out the Vietnam detour and the four months of shipping time that comes with it.
The business has grown from 3,500 tonnes of raw cashew processed in its first year to a 19,000-tonne target following a €9 million investment from AgDevCo in 2024, and now holds five international certifications, including BRCGS and Fair for Life, that let it command a premium over standard wholesale pricing.
Seetaroo's own path to the company runs through 16 years in mining finance and law — including as a lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright and as an investment banker — before she conducted due diligence on a cashew processing factory in Côte d'Ivoire and decided to build the business herself.