It was too hot a day and the heat from the Pacific coast of El Salvador was evaporating on the asphalt. The desire for our first visit to APRAINORES, the Association of Organic Agro-industrial Producers of El Salvador, motivated us to continue biking with greater enthusiasm: we definitely wanted to learn about cashew production, also known regionally as “Marañon” nuts.

In APRAINORES’ facilities we were very kindly welcomed by Alexander Flores, their Manager, who briefly told us about the history and characteristics of the organization that was born in 2002 and which, today, has around 80 members. Most of the members live on the surroundings of the banks of the Lempa River and the Isla de Montecristo, a natural reserve and protected mouth where more than 20 families relying on fishing and agriculture as a means of subsistence live and whose main source of income are cashews.

The Bajo Lempa is a very arid area with very few employment opportunities where the main economic activity is sugar cane monoculture. The association plays a fundamental role that has financial, environmental and social repercussions on the families of producers; it helps them generate income under decent working conditions. Over the years, APRAINORES has diversified its income sources by implementing a laboratory to dry tropical fruits, such as bananas and mangoes, for sale in the local market.

We visited cashew nut orchards. These nuts are actually a ‘false fruit’ with a large amount of water inside and whose seed, which contains many nutrients, hangs at its lower ends. Cashew is rich in antioxidants and helps in keeping well-functioning joints and a well-functioning cardiovascular system.

As days went by, we had the opportunity to learn about all the phases through which cashew nuts go; once the fruit has fallen from the tree, producers manually remove the seeds, dry them in the sun and the nuts then go on to a transformation process where their shells are softened and left to cool down afterwards. Successively, a group of people is in charge of one of the most delicate phases of the process: opening the nuts and removing the cashew from the shell. Something that we as consumers did not know is that its shell contains cardanol, a chemical compound used in the production of paints and lately also in the production of plastic.

The damage that cardanol can cause to the skin of workers is very serious. A fact that startled us was to learn that in countries like India or Vietnam, where this fruit is produced at a greater scale, workers get paid wages so low that they cannot afford to buy gloves to protect their hands. They work without any protection in order to maintain their source of work. We as consumers must become aware of this and not support such practices. It is extremely important when purchasing a product to check that they bear the SPP label: this certification guarantees a fair price to producers, truthfully decent working conditions, and healthy products to consumers.

Like all products that have the SPP certification, those products made here are 100% organic and ecological. The producer families who are members of APRAINORES produce using natural methods and on a small scale; they also contribute to the conservation of natural areas by being extremely respectful of the environment.

Each cashew that we consume should remind us of small producers’ hard work, the efforts made by SPP, as well as the participation of companies that have a hand in this great alliance. We will undoubtedly continue to spread the word about what true fair trade represents and we will share our experience visiting small producers’ organizations on our last tour across Latin America.