São Paulo – The pleasure of eating cashew nut was born in him. The predilection drove agronomist Paulo Rogério de Carvalho to dedicate his life to this type of food. In 2002, it drove him to establish Caju Cardeal (cashew nut cardinal), a company that makes products using cashew nut as its raw material, in Pacajus, in the state of Ceará (50 kilometres away from the state capital, Fortaleza). Products include salted and roasted cashew nuts, biscuits and pastes, among other items. From now on, the company’s growth will depend on foreign sales, which should start with Spain and the United Kingdom, over the next few months. Aside from the European clients, two Arab countries are being aimed at as gateways into the Middle East: the Emirates and Lebanon.
According to Carvalho, Caju Cardeal is part of the Industrial Exporter Extension Program (Peiex), backed by the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex-Brazil) and the government of Ceará, among other organizations. “We are ready to export,” says the entrepreneur. “And we will start soon, with contacts established with the program’s support in Spain and the United Kingdom,” he claims.
It was through the guidance of the Peiex that Carvalho decided that next, he will invest in the Emirates and Lebanon. “We are aware that the Emirates are purchasing cashew nut in increasing volumes, as is Lebanon,” he says. “These are two strong potential clients.”
Presently, Caju Cardeal’s flagship product is roasted or caramelized cashew nuts. Products that should gain strength over the next few years include cashew nut paste (traditional and with chocolate), biscuits (a sort of cookie) and two releases forecasted for this year: crunchy sweet and little pies. “The sweet is our version of pé de moleque (a traditional Brazilian sweet made from peanuts), only with cashew nut instead of peanut,” explains Carvalho. “The little lies are open biscuits with cashew paste,” he says.
The ambassadors of cashew nut in Pacajus process 250 tonnes of the fruit per year, and in Brazil they sell mostly to the states of Espírito Santo, Goiás and Santa Catarina, as well as Ceará itself. “The cashew nut is among the most widely consumed nuts in the world, so we have lots of room to grow,” explains Carvalho.
The entrepreneur’s love story with the cashew nut started in college. “I used to be the assistant to a professor who did research on it,” says Carvalho. “And I went on researching it in my postgraduate work.” His studies in the field led to an invitation to work, in Mozambique, for a Portuguese group that processes cashew nut in that country. “I lived in Africa for seven years,” says the businessman. “And then, out of that experience grew the idea of investing in the segment by opening my own business,” he recounts.
Decision made, the name chosen for the company also had to pay tribute to the most famous nut in Brazil. “The cardinals always represent the elite,” claims Carvalho. “That is why we are Caju Cardeal (Cashew Nut Cardinal),” he explains.
Contact
Caju Cardeal
Telephone: (+55 85) 3348-1972
http://cajucardeal.com
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
