The interviews and reporting for this story were conducted in September 2024.

A large produce of wet, harvested cashews was in front of Brijith Krishnan. The unseasonal rains in his hometown in Kerala had ruined the crop again. He knew this crop wouldn’t fetch him any income.

Around the same time in 2020, the mechanical engineering diploma holder also faced another challenging turn of events when he unexpectedly lost his job as a supervisor in an IT company.

In addition to this, the cashew farming industry – a traditional source of income for his family – was also on the decline. This double blow left him without a stable income source. He strived to permanently settle in his hometown and explore new avenues.

With a keen eye for innovation and a determination to make a meaningful impact, he observed the growing trend towards plant-based diets, particularly in the vegan industry.

Leveraging his mechanical engineering background and driven by a desire to create value in cashew farming, he delved into the unchartered territory of sprouting technology for cashew nuts.

In 2021, he officially launched his venture, Eatery Malbarikas, which makes dishes from sprouted cashew nuts and supplies to major food supply companies and hotels in Kerala, Bengaluru, Mumbai.

Reality of the largest cashew producers of Kerala

According to the ‘Status of Cashew Research and........

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