Karma Nuts celebrates 10 years in business and a lifetime in cashews

Karma Nuts, a snack brand known for keeping its signature cashews under wraps (more on that later), turned 10 this year. And to celebrate, the company didn’t kick back with birthday cake for all. Instead, it made cookies.

Soft and chewy cashew cookies. In three flavors that hit all the classic cookie sweet spots.

And it released those cookies to what appears to have been a robust reception, seeing as how, as of this writing, all three varieties were sold out in the company’s online shop.

While that may pose a temporary hiccup for the cashew-cookie curious, it poses an intriguing question for a brand that’s proving how dynamic the healthy-snacking space can be: What’s next?

Filling a gap

Here’s another question for Karma Nuts: Why did it cap its first decade in the nut biz with a cookie? One answer, said Ganesh Nair, the company’s founder, was to give its community — the customers, extended team and supporters who, he said, “rallied behind our vision” — a gift.

But just as important, he continued, “We felt it was time.”

The brand’s had its eye on the cookie category’s expansion in natural grocery for a while, and in that time it’s noticed a growing gap. “My team and I saw a lot of very decadent, but not-great-for-you, cookies and a lot of very health-and-diet-focused options,” Nair observed. “What we weren’t seeing was a cross between healthy and indulgent.”

So why not be the one to cross them? After all, Nair argued, “We have the expertise in the space and the relationships with our customers and retailers to branch into a new category using the consumer demand we see out there.”

Exacting specs

Based on that demand — and the brand’s own values — Karma Nuts built a clear concept of what it wanted out of these cookies, and what it didn’t.

“We were very passionate about bringing a truly soft, chewy and decadent cookie to the market,” Nair recalled. “A lot of vegan and better-for-you cookies are crunchy, and those that’re soft have a bit to be desired taste-wise.”

Another non-negotiable was an entirely plant-based formulation with no refined sugar. And while that complicated ingredient sourcing, Nair conceded, “Ultimately we ended up with a better overall product because of these guardrails.”

Healthy tension

Specifically, they ended up with a buttery, chewy cookie made from a foundation of dates and cashew flour “that just so happens to be better-for-you and fits many diets, too,” Nair said.

This being the brand’s first line extension, it did have some hurdles to vault during formulation. For example, Nair observed, “When developing a new line for mass production, there’s a healthy tension between creating the best possible product and one that can scale out to large volumes.”

In their case, that meant testing several iterations of the cashew-date variety before identifying the perfectly sized cashew chunk for delivering optimal taste, texture and operational efficiency.                                                    

“We also found that adding the coconut flakes to our toasted-coconut flavor changed the dough consistency quite a lot when scaled out,” Nair added, “and we had to tweak the formula to account for a different moisture content than in the other flavors we developed.”

Finally, they had to choose how big to make the cookies — “anywhere from a single-serve large cookie down to the bite-sized ‘poppable’ cookies that we ended up with,” Nair said. “This was a combination of getting the most satisfying cookie experience — who doesn’t love three cookies per serving? — and, again, the best possible product when scaled out to larger volumes.”

Origin story

And now that Karma Nuts has helped fill the healthy-indulgence cookie gap, it bears noting that filling a gap was how the company got started 10 years earlier.

As Nair recalled, he was so fed up with the preponderance of sugary snacks and oil-fried nuts on offer at the time that he felt compelled to introduce cashews as a solution.

And he introduced them with a twist — or, rather, a wrap.

Skin deep

Namely, Karma Nuts’ cashews come “Wrapped®” — they’ve even registered the signature — in their original skin.

As Nair explained, “A number of studies show the highly nutritious nature of cashews and, specifically, of the cashew testa, or skin. Much like an apple or potato, a great deal of nutrients resides in the skin.”

So why scrub it off? Karma Nuts didn’t, and that choice lends its cashews twice the usual fiber content, antioxidant activity comparable to blueberries and an “amazing taste and crunch,” Nair claimed.

Worth the work

This didn’t make Karma Nuts’ job easier, as the cashew’s outer shell is toxic and requires careful removal. Even after it’s gone, a tannic bitterness remains — until the company’s gentle air-roasting process eliminates it, Nair said.

But the brand calculated that the extra work was worth it, given the dent in food waste that retaining the cashew testa makes.

“Saving the skins is a great way to use more of the plant not only to deliver greater nutrition but to reduce waste,” Nair insisted. “We’ve saved thousands of pounds of food waste over the years and continue to look for ways to reduce even more.”

Personal journey

Nair also noted that skin-on nuts aren’t anomalies, as almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts all show some skin. But until Karma Nuts came along, cashews didn’t.

Ten years later, Karma Nuts remains the only branded player in the nut category keeping its cashews wrapped. And with the addition of the cookies, it’s safe to say the team’s enjoying the journey. But for Nair, that journey is also personal.                                                                                                              

“My family has a rich history with the cashew world,” he said. “My grandfather started processing cashews 90-plus years ago in India, and the family legacy’s been passed down through the generations since.”

Karma Nuts honors that legacy and the mighty cashew, and it “celebrates the goodness of healthy snacking through delicious nut-based products.”