Field notes, factory dispatches and export updates — straight from the Gontougo savanna to your desk.
A major milestone for the Gontougo region: our new processing unit will shell, dry, sort and pack 50,000 tonnes of cashew a year, creating hundreds of local jobs.
Bondoukou, Gontougo region — Lhacienda Factory has officially begun construction of its new cashew processing plant, a facility designed to transform up to 50,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts into premium kernels every year.
Located on the edge of Bondoukou, the plant is strategically positioned in the heart of one of Côte d'Ivoire's most productive cashew belts. The Gontougo region combines ideal growing conditions — a sharp dry season, red ferralitic soils and decades of farmer know-how — with strong road links to Abidjan and the ports of San-Pédro and Tema.
Once operational, the factory will run a fully integrated processing line: intake and moisture control, steam cooking, mechanical shelling, low-temperature drying, peeling, optical sorting, grading from W180 to W450, and vacuum packing under nitrogen. Every stage has been engineered to preserve the ivory-white colour, crisp texture and mild buttery flavour that define a world-class cashew kernel.
This factory is not just a building. It is a commitment to process our harvest here, create value here, and share that value with the people who grow the crop.
Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of raw cashew nuts, yet only a fraction of the crop is processed domestically. Lhacienda Factory was founded to reverse that flow. By shelling, sorting and packing in-country, we keep up to five times more value within the local economy — paying farmers above the farm-gate price, creating skilled jobs and supplying roasters, chocolatiers and distributors directly from Bondoukou.
The new plant will also valorise 100% of the cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and shell biomass as a renewable energy source for the dryers, sharply reducing the carbon footprint compared with exporting raw nuts to Asia for processing.
Construction is expected to be completed in phases, with the first processing line coming online shortly after structural completion. At full capacity, the facility will employ more than 300 people, with women making up the majority of production and quality-control teams.
We are working alongside certified cooperatives and agricultural extension services to train partner farmers on post-harvest handling, moisture control and traceability. The goal is simple: a cleaner nut at intake, a better kernel at export, and a fairer income at the farm.
The plant is being built to HACCP, BRCGS and FSSC 22000 standards from day one. Every lot will be traceable back to the cooperative and plot of origin, giving international buyers the transparency they need and Ivorian farmers the recognition they deserve.
Over the coming months we will share construction updates, introduce our team, and open the commercial desk for sample requests and export contracts. If you would like to receive updates or request a technical offer, reach out to our export team at export@lhacienda.com.
The golden harvest of the savanna is about to be processed on its own soil. We are proud to be part of that story.
