In this episode, we talk with local entrepreneur, Joshua Reed-Diawuoh, about his business that focuses on importing cashews from small, sustainable producers in West Africa. He then prepares them to sell as tasty, healthy snacks.
In this episode, we cover:
- How Josh’s visits to West Africa inspired the creation of GRIA Food Co.
- Why the typical business model of large food importers don’t lead to a sustainable living for local farmers in Africa.
- Josh’s approach to identifying small producers of cashews in West Africa that use sustainable practices.
- The variety of cashew snack flavors that GRIA Food Co. offers.
- Nutritional benefits of snacking on cashews.
- Where you can purchase GRIA Food Co. snacks in the Boston area and online.
- Information on the Fairtrade standard.
- How Commonwealth Kitchen supports local food entrepreneurs like Josh, as part of their mission to promote equity and inclusive entrepreneurship.
While the cashews come from Africa, far away from us here in Boston, this episode picks up on themes we cover on Cooking Chat such as sustainability and supporting small farmers and food entrepreneurs.
Today’s Guest
Joshua Reed-Diawuoh is the Founder and Owner of GRIA Food Co., a food venture based in Boston dedicated to bringing premium African snacks to consumers around the USA. He founded the company at the MIT Sloan School of Management as a way to promote food manufacturing and fairtrade practices in West Africa.
Drawing on a range of experience in agriculture, food and beverage, public health, and finance, he focuses on ethically sourcing the best produce on the continent to create products that customers love.
Josh and GRIA Food Co. were recently featured in the Boston Globe.
Resources
Here are links to some additional resources related to our conversation with Josh.
- Order GRIA Food Co. cashews on their website.
- Information about the benefits of the Fairtrade standard.
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