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.

Talk to us

Curious about this project?

Valeria and Roald are happy to tell you more about it.

Valeria Varga
Roald Klumpenaar
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