Southeast Sulawesi · Sulawesi
Muna cashew
Muna is an island off Southeast Sulawesi and a registered cashew origin. With cashew the decisive question is rarely where the nut grew. It is where and how it was shelled, because that step sets both the grade and the food safety position.
A protected name.
Mete Muna
IG.00.2016.0000011
Registered for Southeast Sulawesi. Kubu cashew in Bali holds a separate registration under Mete Kubu Bali.
What makes it different.
- Shelling decides the grade
- Cashew grades are built on whole kernels against pieces, and breakage happens at shelling. A well-grown nut badly shelled becomes a low grade.
- Raw nuts often leave the island
- Indonesia exports raw cashew as well as kernels, and a good deal of Indonesian nut is processed elsewhere. Where the shelling happened is a question worth asking directly.
- Dry island conditions
- Muna is dry and limestone-based, which suits the tree and helps drying, the point where the crop is most easily ruined.
- The shell liquid is caustic
- Cashew shells contain an irritant oil, which is why hand shelling is a labour question with real safety content behind it.
What we source here.
Indonesian cashew nuts
Indonesia mostly exports raw cashew nuts, not kernels. What outturn means, why it decides the price, and what to check if you want processed grades.
How to verify an Indonesian supplier
Two public government registries, the cross-check between them that catches most problems before a deposit moves, and the part only a visit can answer.
Export documents, by category
Four categories, four different sets of paperwork and almost no overlap. Built from the reference pages, so it cannot fall behind what is published.
Questions buyers ask.
Does Indonesian origin mean Indonesian processing?
Not necessarily, and it is the question to ask first. Raw cashew moves internationally for shelling, so a nut grown on Muna may be processed a long way from it. If origin matters to your labelling, get the processing location in writing as well as the growing one.
Which grade should I order?
W-320 is the common commercial whole kernel and a sensible default. Pieces and splits cost less and suit anything that gets chopped or ground. Ordering wholes for a use that breaks them anyway is money spent on appearance.
What is the main food safety issue?
Mould toxins from poor drying and storage, plus microbiological contamination introduced at hand shelling. Both are processor questions, which is why an audit of the shelling operation tells you more than an audit of the farm.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Buying from Muna Island?
Tell us the specification and the port. We go to the region, look at the material and put the documents together before anyone quotes a price.
Sources
- 1Register of protected geographical indications. Direktorat Jenderal Kekayaan Intelektual, Republic of Indonesia. Checked 5 August 2026.