Ninety kilometres south of Chennai, past the salt pans and the tamarind orchards, lies a network of farms that most of the world will never see. They range from two acres to fifteen — modest holdings, each tended by a family that has grown cashews for twenty, thirty, sometimes fifty years.
These are the 100 partner families of Rajasingucashews. Every premium kernel you receive from us grew on their land.
How Partnership Works
We do not buy from brokers. We never have. The decision was made in 2009, when Rajasingu — himself the son of a cashew farmer — realised that the broker model had one fatal flaw: no traceability. You could not know which farm your cashew came from, how it was grown, or how quickly it was processed after harvest.
"My father taught me that if you cannot look a farmer in the eye and tell him exactly what his harvest is worth, you are part of the problem. Direct partnership was the only honest way."
— Rajasingu, on the founding principle
What Direct Partnership Actually Means
For each partner farmer, we provide a pre-season advance against that year's harvest at a price agreed before the first bud appears on the tree. No market speculation. No last-minute price drops. The farmer knows in January what his April harvest is worth.
In return, the farmer commits to our growing protocols: no synthetic pesticides within 30 days of harvest, hand-picking only during the final two weeks, and direct delivery to our facility within 48 hours of harvest. These are not arbitrary rules — they are what make a premium cashew possible.
The Families Behind the Numbers
Among our partners is Murugan, who inherited two acres from his father and now farms four. He sends his children to school on the income from cashew — an income that has grown 40% since he joined our partnership program. There is Selvam, who was about to uproot his cashew trees and plant bananas because the broker price had fallen below the cost of harvesting. Our pre-season advance changed that calculation.
These stories are not exceptional. They are the norm across our partner network. Premium pricing for the buyer creates premium income for the farmer — and that is the only supply chain we are willing to operate.
Our partner farmers receive 15–22% above the regional broker price, paid partially in advance. In 2025, we paid out ₹2.8 crore in advance payments before a single nut was harvested.
When you open a bag of Rajasingucashews, you are not just holding a snack or a commodity. You are holding the product of a hundred families' year of work. We think that deserves respect — from the pricing we pay the farmer to the care we put into every shipment.
