Brazil is one of the Americas’ oldest cashew producers, harvesting roughly 130,000 tonnes of raw cashew nut a year, almost entirely in the Northeast — Ceará is the hub, alongside Rio Grande do Norte and Piauí. For anyone equipping or upgrading a processing line here, CASHEW TECH supplies turnkey cashew processing plants, individual machines, and independent consulting, sized from 2 to 50 tonnes of raw nut per day. We also retrofit and automate existing lines. Because much of Brazil’s orchard is ageing and the industry is under competitive pressure, the opportunity is less about greenfield capacity and more about modernisation: replacing manual and semi-manual stations with automated cutting, peeling and sorting to raise whole-kernel outturn, cut labour cost, and capture by-product value from shell and cashew apple.

Why Process Cashews in Brazil Now

Brazil combines a mature domestic market with a raw-material base concentrated close to two export ports. The country is a substantial consumer of cashew kernels in its own right, and — unusually — of the cashew apple, processed into juice (caju) and other drinks. That gives a Brazilian processor two revenue streams most origins ignore: the kernel and the apple.

The challenge is age. Large parts of the Northeastern orchard are decades old, yields per hectare are low, and the sector competes with lower-cost African and Asian supply. Replanting programmes and dwarf-clone varieties are gradually lifting field yields, but the processing side has lagged. Many lines still lean on manual shelling and peeling, which caps whole-kernel recovery and inflates the wage bill. Modern equipment closes that gap — and does so where the raw nut already grows, minutes from Fortaleza and Pecém in Ceará. For global context, see cashew nut producing countries.

What CASHEW TECH Supplies

We are an independent supplier and consultant, not tied to a single equipment brand, so specifications are matched to your throughput and nut profile rather than to a catalogue.

Browse the full product list for machine-level detail.

Modernising a Legacy Industry

The clearest return in Brazil comes from retrofitting. An existing plant rarely needs to be replaced wholesale; it needs its bottleneck stations automated. Manual cutting is the usual constraint — it limits speed and produces a high share of broken kernels, and brokens sell at a steep discount to wholes. Introducing automatic cutting and calibrated shelling lifts whole-kernel outturn, which is where processor margin lives.

Downstream, controlled hot-air drying stabilises kernel moisture for peeling, automated peeling reduces the largest labour line, and careful grading delivers the consistent grades that export buyers and domestic brands demand. Shell and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) become a by-product revenue stream rather than waste, and in Brazil the cashew apple can be routed to juice production. We scope these upgrades stage by stage so capital is spent where it changes the outturn, not everywhere at once. This staged approach suits Brazilian operators managing cash flow against ageing infrastructure.

Sizing and Getting Started

Right-sizing begins with raw-nut supply, not machine capacity. A cooperative or family operation might start at 2–5 tonnes per day; a regional processor targeting export volumes and domestic brands may run 20–50 tonnes per day. We map available raw nut, target kernel grades, labour, power and building footprint before recommending a configuration — and for existing plants, we start from an audit of what is already installed.

Cost depends on scale and automation level; our plant cost guide explains the drivers, and the how-to-start guide walks through the full sequence from raw-nut sourcing to packed kernel. Every Brazilian project also needs its own feasibility and project report before capital is committed.

Get Started

Tell us your location, target throughput, and whether you are building new or upgrading an existing line. We will respond with an indicative configuration and budget for your Brazilian project. Request a quote or book a consultation, or message us on WhatsApp from the button in the corner of any page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brazil good for cashew processing? Yes. Brazil produces around 130,000 tonnes of raw cashew nut a year and has a long-established industry with strong domestic demand for both kernels and cashew apple juice. Its main constraint is an ageing orchard and under-modernised lines, which makes automation and retrofitting — not just new capacity — the key opportunity for processors.

Where is cashew grown in Brazil? Cashew production is concentrated in the Northeast. Ceará is the hub, with significant volumes also from Rio Grande do Norte and Piauí. This region places raw nut close to the export ports of Fortaleza and Pecém in Ceará.

Can I upgrade an existing cashew line instead of building new? Yes. CASHEW TECH retrofits and automates existing plants — typically replacing manual cutting, peeling and sorting stations with automated equipment to raise whole-kernel outturn and cut labour cost. We start with a line audit and upgrade stage by stage so capital targets the actual bottleneck.

What capacity of cashew processing machine does CASHEW TECH supply for Brazil? We supply lines and individual machines from 2 to 50 tonnes of raw nut per day, covering small cooperatives through to export-scale processors, plus turnkey plants, standalone machines, control panels and consulting.