The story
The Portuguese brought cashew to Goa in the 1500s to stop soil erosion on the hills, and Goans soon learned to distil the juice of the cashew apple into urrak and feni in small village stills called bhattis. Cashew processing factories later grew in Goa, roasting, shelling and grading kernels sold to tourists and across India. Feni was among India's first food-and-drink GIs in 2009, and Goa cashew got its own GI in 2023.
In numbers
Feni is a registered GI (Application No. 120, Certificate No. 105 dated 05-03-2009); the applicant is the Goa Cashew Feni Distillers & Bottlers Association.
GI Registry (IP India) – Application No. 120, Feni · 2009Goa Cashew (Kaju or Caju) is a registered GI (Application No. 714, Certificate No. 506 dated 03-10-2023); the applicants include the Goa Cashew Manufacturers Association.
GI Registry (IP India) – Application No. 714, Goa Cashew (Kaju or Caju) · 2023
GI tag
- FeniApplication no. GI Application No. 120, Certificate No. 105 (05-03-2009)GI Registry (IP India) – Application No. 120, Feni
- Goa Cashew (Kaju or Caju)Application no. GI Application No. 714, Certificate No. 506 (03-10-2023)GI Registry (IP India) – Application No. 714, Goa Cashew (Kaju or Caju)
Ways in for a newcomer
- Licensed small-batch feni distilleries and feni tourism (distillery visits)
- Branded GI-tagged cashew packs for tourists and online
- Cashew apple juice, syrup and jam from fruit now wasted
- Mechanised shelling and peeling units
Problems the cluster faces
- Shrinking cashew orchards and ageing trees
- Excise rules and limited sale outside Goa
- Imported raw nuts cheaper than local crop
- Young people leaving traditional distilling
Businesses to start here
Cashew and Coconut Feni Distillery →Cashew Nut Processing →Cashew Apple Syrup →Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) →