In this episode, we speak with Freek Wessels from Johnny Cashew and Maria Verschoof from Mama Cashew.

Johnny Cashew was founded by Hayo de Feijter and Roel van de Weijer with one clear goal: to create a fairer future for everyone who plants, harvests, and processes cashew nuts.

Johnny’s story started on a beer coaster. Back in 2020, our founder Hayo de Feijter sketched out the very first idea for Johnny Cashew on a beer coaster. Soon after, he brought in his business partner and longtime friend Roel van de Weijer to crunch the numbers. Roel’s superpower? Using Excel to prove why something can’t be done. This time, he couldn’t. In 2022, Freek Wessels joined Johnny Cashew as investor and Cashew Captain — and the rest is history.

Together with partners on the ground, Johnny Cashew now works to process cashews locally in Tanzania — reducing unnecessary transport, cutting emissions, and ensuring that more value stays in the country of origin. By collaborating with farmers and their sister company Mama Cashew, they contribute to fair incomes and meaningful jobs across the value chain.

In this episode, we hear from both Freek and Maria as they share how they are building a more transparent, fair, and sustainable cashew industry — and what it takes to rethink an entire global value chain.

The Green Times is a media platform for the road to a new, sustainable economy and the role of entrepreneurship in shaping it.

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