The Cajuu Timeline: A Flavourful Journey
2018: Planting the Cajuu seed
Cajuu founder Habil started to import his family’s cashews into the UK and sell them at wholesale. Due to the size and quality of the cashew nuts from Tanzania, it quickly became apparent that this is a business model that was never going to work.
That's when Habil knew that he needed to add further value to the cashew nuts and the idea for creating a range of cashew based products was born. A bunch of weird and wacky flavours were created (some of which are still on the cards to be launched in the future!) before landing on around 6 which forms part of the core range.
In parallel the company name and branding was being developed, and when ‘Cajuu’ and its logo was put forward, it definitely felt right!
2019: Cajuu launch!
Cajuu launched in 2019, bringing together months of planning and development.
We launched 3 product ranges:
Tubes: seasoned, roasted cashews in sleek new plastic free Tube packaging in 3 exciting new flavours: Salt & Pepper, Mango, and Vanilla Salted Caramel.
Trays: first ever nut and dip concept, leveraging the size of the cashews to create a new eating experience, in the same 3 flavours as the Tubes.
Bites: roasted cashew and date balls, combining the moorish cashews with natural sweetness of the dates. Launched in 3 flavours; Clove & Aniseed, Rose & Saffron, Tangerine & Orange.
We also launched the Cajuu website, and started to sell into a few local shops as well as winning sponsorship to have a stall at the world famous Borough Market.
2020: Surviving COVID but remaining true to our core values
As with so many businesses, we were figuring out how we would survive COVID, particularly as the majority of stockists and distributors who we were starting to have good conversations with ceased to take on new products.
This inevitably meant we had to focus our efforts through digital and e-comm channels i.e. our website, Amazon and 3rd party sellers.
The time however did allow us to develop new Trays and Bites packaging and go completely plastic free.
This elevated our product proposition, and as COVID rules eased we were able to bring this new sustainable and more eco-friendly range to market.
2021: Bye bye Bites, hello new people and places
We further improved our Snackpack Tray packaging and started to get more listings and premium stockists. This meant we had to move from producing and packing the Cajuu range at a kitchen ourselves, to outsourcing this function to a SALSA accredited co-packer.
When we were in the kitchen, we produced the Bites range (mixing the ingredients and rolling each ball) by hand. Moving to the co-packer just meant we were not operationally capable to perform this task, so after some planning and analysis we made the decision to delist the cashew and date Bites range.
This significantly freed up time and resources, meaning we were able to recruit some amazing people to join the Cajuu team and grow further.
2022: New flavours and Meet Your Farmer
We launched 3 exciting new flavours to the Tube range;
- Tanzanian Salt Roasted
- Safari Sweet Chilli
- Zanzibar Chilli Zest
This gave the Tubes great symmetry and completing the range of savoury, sweet, fruity and spicy notes!
We also introduced a fantastic new element to the business; a Meet Your Farmer QR code. Since we pride ourselves on working directly with farmers in southern Tanzania, we are able to trace each cashew back to the farm and farmer who grew and harvested the nut. All of our products have QR codes which, when scanned, allows you to Meet Your Farmer.
Through both of the above, we increased our sales and footprint, and onboarded with many more stockists and distributors as well as grew through our e-commerce channels.
2023: A Vibrant Revelation - New Packaging Unveiled
2023 marked a milestone in Cajuu's packaging evolution. We unveiled a vibrant and captivating new Tube packaging design that immediately caught the eye of consumers.
Beyond the aesthetic appeal, the new Tubes now contain 100g of cashews, offering even more to savour with every bite. This packaging upgrade also includes comprehensive information.
In the near future, we’re excitedly planning to introduce an array of Cajuu ‘newness’. Stay tuned for the upcoming offerings that will undoubtedly elevate your snacking experience.....