Cashew to Dubai: a Bouaké cooperative’s first Gulf contract

The cooperative had sold raw cashew to Indian traders for a decade. In early 2025 a Dubai processor offered a better price for kernels, on one condition: the paperwork had to be in order before the first order.

Finding the gaps

The compliance check flagged three problems: a halal certificate that did not cover the new processing line, a lab report older than the buyer allowed, and missing Arabic on the carton labels.

“We thought the hard part was the quality. It was the certificates.”

The first container

With the seal issued, the buyer confirmed the order within a week. The cooperative now ships monthly and has added a second buyer in Riyadh.