One of my favorite things as a blogger is that I occasionally get gifted with products from companies, affording me with the wonderful opportunity to try new things/tastes/etc. in the comfort of my own home. This was the case recently when I was asked if I would like to try some of the products from East Bali Cashews. I did not need to be asked twice. The cashew is my favorite of all the nuts!
East Bali Cashews began when founder Aaron Fishman traveled to the humble village of Desa Ban, in rural East Bali, as a healthcare volunteer. He soon discovered that behind the beauty, East Bali is an impoverished region of cashew farmers. Farmers sold raw cashews to traders who shipped them overseas for processing. Aaron saw an opportunity to bring livelihood and educational opportunities to the region. From there, East Bali Cashews was born. This ethical business has been bringing their honest cashew products to consumers since 2012.
East Bali Cashews ensures high-quality, delicious products throughout the entire process, from start to finish. It’s a labor of love and they love what they do. At every step along the way, the journey of an East Bali cashew is one of rare authenticity, expertise and refreshing flavor. You can read more about the journey of the cashew from the tree to your home here. Its incredibly fascinating. I had no idea where cashews came from or how they were grown!
Every sale makes it possible to provide over 400 jobs in East Bali, empowering local farming communities through sustainable employment, agriculture and education initiatives. I love the ethos of this company.
Two of the products I was sent to try were the Granola Bites (chocolate and vanilla), and the Salted Caramel Popcorn wih Cashews.
Their Granola Bites are a perfectly balanced mix of the Island’s beloved flavors.
The Chocolate and Vanilla Granola Bites are their Chocolate Vanilla Granola, formed into bite-sized clusters. they are perfect for a snack or pick me up, and I have to say they are postively delicious! Nice and crunchy, not too sweet. I am not usually a huge fan of chocolate cereals, but these were really delicious and I have to warn you now, incredibly moreish! I don't think Todd got a look in!!
The Chocolate and Vanilla Granola Bites are a combination of farmer-direct cashews, tasty clusters of rolle doats and nutritious read rice wih an infusion of dark tropical cacao and with a rich taste of vanilla. These unique flavor are created by small-batch craftmanship under the of the beautiful volcano, Mount Agung, on the eastern shores of Bali.
Equally moreish was the Salted Caramel Popcorn with Cashews. A lovely mix of salted caramel popcorn mixed with pieces of crunchy cashew. This salty sweet mix is a little taste of heaven. A classic crispy favorite with farmer-cirect cashews delicately rolled in fine caramel and a tantalising pinch of hand-harvested sea salt!! Yummy yummy! Again not too sweet, but a perfect balance of flavour, sweet, salt and crunch!
Every product purchased directly supports the deveopment of the communities, families and children of East Bali.
They have an on-site pre-school. Opened in 2014, AnaKardia Kids is located on-site at their factory and hosts up to 60 children on a daily basis. Subsidized by East Bali Cashews, AnaKardia Kids gives the children of Desa Ban a head start in life by providing a safe, healthy and enriching early learning environment.
By offering well-paying jobs in an impoverished area where work is scarce, EBC empowers the local villagers to lift themselves out of poverty. Their social enterprise model is a sustainable, secure method of addressing poverty, with autonomous & scalable economics. This model creates drive, spurs growth and creativity, and with everyone sitting in the same boat, the sky becomes the limit.
East Bali Cashews takes the livelihoods of their farmers and the use of local land seriously. Their farmer support includes introduction of cash crops, instruction on sustainable farming techniques, distribution of Village Drying Centers (VDCs), and the rejuvenation of cashew trees through an extensive seedling nursery & distribution program.
Cashew shells are an important part of their business. The circular journey of the cashew shells starts at the factory. To power the steaming and drying process of their cashews, they use an innovative gasifier furnace that runs on leftover cashew shells. The resulting biochar is then used as a super carbon-rich fertilizer for our cashew trees and rosella plantations.
They also have Farmer training, practice plant rejuvenation, provide educational scholarships, provide a subsidized community store for their workers.
You can read more about the Cashew Family Foundation here. It really seems most impressive.
I was also sent an assortment of their 35g snack bags.
Cacao Cashew Nuts, gently rolled in dark tropical chocolate.Delicately dusted in locally-sourced dark cacao powder, these decadent cashews are great for a healthy dessert or on top of Greek yoghurt in the morning.
Sea Salt Cashew Nuts, sprinkled with hand-harvested Sea Salt.Sprinkled with salt harvested from the Indian Ocean and roasted in rich, Balinese coconut oil, we gave this classic cashew flavor a major taste upgrade.
Wild Harvested Cashew Snack Roastted with Wild Coconut Chips. These wild-harvested and deliciously roasted Premium Cashews mixed with toasted Coconut Chips will let you taste the beauty of natural Bali.
East of these were delicious in their own right and I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite! I really, really liked the ones with the Wild Coconut Chips however. I had no idea that wild coconut had such a natural sweetness, but to be honest each was delicious!
Altogether I was very impressed with the taste and quality of the products I was sent to try, as well as the ethos of this company and I can do nothing but highly recommend them to you and give them a two thumbs up from The English Kitchen!
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Their products are available here in the UK from Amazon, Passionate Life, Kimber Foods and The Good Food.
To find out more about their products and where you can purchase them do check out their website at East Bali Cashews.
Many thanks to East Bali Cashews for sending me these lovely snacks. I highly recommend them to all of you!
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Note - although I was gifted with these snacks I was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any and all opinions are my own entirely.
