Have you ever tasted honey-infused cashews or premium kernels seasoned with fresh green chillies and black pepper? Pair these delicacies with a chilled glass of fresh cashew apple juice, and you have a culinary experience like no other. This unique combination of flavours has catapulted Vishwakeshava and Navyasree, a progressive farming couple from Chippar in Uppala, Kasaragod, into successful agri-entrepreneurs.
Operating under their farm brand, Kuruveli, they have successfully eliminated crop wastage on their 5-acre orchard by converting raw cashews and neglected cashew fruits into premium, high-value consumer products.
A calculated shift to high-yielding varieties
The couple owns a diverse 12-acre farm, with five acres dedicated exclusively to cashew trees and the remainder cultivated with areca nut, pepper, and rubber. For years, the older cashew trees on their property suffered from declining yields, prompting them to rethink their strategy. Around 12 years ago, they systematically replanted the orchard with high-yielding grafted varieties, specifically Bhaskara and Ullal-3. Today, their 5-acre plot is home to 1,000 thriving trees.
The grafts began bearing fruit in their third year, and currently, each tree yields an impressive average of 20 kg of cashews annually. To sustain this output, they employ drip irrigation during the dry summer months and apply organic poultry manure along with NPK fertilisers starting in mid-August. However, rising production costs coupled with volatile market prices for raw cashews eventually forced the couple to explore a more lucrative path: value addition.
Elevating raw cashews to gourmet snacks
Initially, the couple simply processed the raw cashews into standard kernels at home to sell to friends and relatives. As word of mouth grew and demand surged, they realised the immense potential of premium quality kernels. Utilising a central government subsidy scheme, they established a semi-automated processing unit adjacent to their home.
Equipped with sorting, shelling, and roasting machines, this facility allowed them to scale operations dramatically. To stand out in a competitive market, they decided to move beyond plain salted nuts. They introduced gourmet flavours, including sweet honey-glazed cashews, as well as spicy variants featuring black pepper, green chilli, and crushed red pepper. The response from health-conscious consumers was overwhelming.
Transforming waste cashew apples into liquid gold
With their cashew nut business thriving, Vishwakeshava and Navyasree turned their attention to the cashew apples. In traditional plantations, millions of tonnes of cashew apples are left to rot on the ground due to their highly acrid, stain-inducing sap. Determined to solve this, Navyasree completed a specialised training course at the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research in Puttur, Karnataka, focusing on techniques to remove the astringent tannins from the fruit. Applying this knowledge, they began producing a smooth, delicious cashew apple juice.
Priced at ₹125 per litre, the beverage was initially sold through a friend’s retail outlet and served as welcome drinks at local events. It quickly became a sensation, creating a secondary revenue stream from what was once farm waste. It takes approximately 50 cashew apples to produce one litre of juice. To ensure a year-round supply outside the harvest season, they extract the pulp during the peak period and store it in commercial freezers.
According to Vishwakeshava, an average harvest yields about 1 kg of cashews (roughly 150 nuts) and, along with it, the potential for two litres of premium juice. Encouraged by this success, the duo is now gearing up to launch cashew apple candies to further diversify their product line.
