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Sweet Bénin
Supporting Beninese small food processors in product innovation and marketing
We supported a group of Beninese SMEs on their mission to valorize the forgotten treasure of cashew: the cashew apple. Through our support in market activation, SMEs successfully engaged new distributors and customer for cashew apple juice. We co-developed bottle recycling campaigns which resulted in more customers returning bottles than ever. We guided them in discovering new products to valorize cashew apples. From the four products prototyped, one has already been successfully launched on the market.
Partners
Technoserve
Sweet Benin
Expertise
Marketing and distribution
Product and service design
Circularity and regneration
Sectors
Food and agriculture
Markets
Benin
Timeline
2020 to 2021
From waste to value
Cashew nuts are the second-most valuable export product from Benin. The crop has even more to offer: an often forgotten part of it is the cashew apple. Tons of this nutritious, vibrant fruit are being discarded as waste every year during harvest due to misbeliefs and taboos around the apple. Cashew apple is actually a highly nutritious juicy fruit with high magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin C content, with a great potential to be valorized in different forms.
Together with a group of Beninese processors, Bopinc explored the possibility of valorising cashew apple products such as juice, dried apples, syrup and bio compost. After successful prototyping and testing cashew apple syrup, Sweet Boost was launched and the entrepreneurs are exploring opportunities to offer compost of otherwise wasted apples to cashew farmers, closing the loop.
Impact
Bringing circularity to the cashew value chain
14 Entrepreneurs supported
To develop circular products and business models
1 New product launched
And two will be launched commercially
14 People to be trained
In entrepreneurship skills
Inspiring circularity
Besides new product development, we piloted innovations to improve recycling of juice bottles. By finding the right incentives for recycling, we found ways to improve the business case of cashew apple processors and to reduce waste in the chain.
Timeline
Project milestones
Discover
Insights study to identify & prototype 4 new potential by-products
Jan - May 2020
Define
Facilitate linkages with new clients, co-design marketing and recycling pilot, build business case for new products
Jun - Aug 2020
Develop
Product selection and roll-out support for new entrepreneurs
Sep 2020 - Mar 2021
Deliver
New clients engaged, new products launched
Apr - May 2021
