Some of you may know that I have been involved for years in sourcing and importing cashews (they don't grow in the United States - they are imported mostly from India, Vietnam and Brazil). My business partner and I have been urging the industry to start taking responsible sourcing seriously. Conditions, both hygienic and working conditions, in many cashew factories are simply unacceptable and should not be tolerated or supported. Unfortunately our outspoken stance has gotten us into difficulty and has proven to be very costly to us professionally. Let's just say that many of the big importers and roasters would prefer a "don't ask, don't tell" position.

Anyway, about a year ago we decided to tackle the issue ourselves and set up a certification agency so that importers and roasters could be certain they were getting responsibly sourced cashews. Here's a link to our website Cashew Concern Certification Mostly we got doors slammed in our faces, but there is a small Virginia company that supported us from the get go, and that was Feridies . Feridies has teamed up with a Richmond based charity called Chldren Incorporated (much like Save the Children but without the religious component)and is offering a can of deluxe cashews - $1.00 of every sale goes to Children Incorporated. I've put a write up about it on my Folk Music Society website HERE . I don't make any money off these sales, but I was involved in setting up the inspection and certification of the Brazilian facility, coordinating the roasting of the cashews, etc. and I really want this project to succeed. So, IF you are looking for a gift for a friend or business acquaintance that has everything, consider sending a can of these cashews.   They were processed at a fine Brazilian facility that maintains good manufacturing and safety practices and treats their workers decently. And I really want Feridies to do well with this line. Frankly they were one of the few companies that really seemed to care about where their cashews came from.   You've probably never given much thought to cashews (I didn't before I became involved in the nut importing industry) but the shelling is a very labor intensive process, made more difficult because within the cashew shell there is a noxious liquid (kin to poison ivy) that can burn the workers hands and makes the job extremely unpleasant.

Feel free to forward the link to your friends and family!