Stocking Cashews for the Festive Season: How Much & When to Order

What festive demand does to your cashew mix

It's not just *more* cashew — it's a different mix. Katli and ground-sweet volume multiplies, so LWP demand jumps. Gift boxes appear on the counter, so whole grades (W320, W240, W180) — which many shops barely stock off-season — suddenly matter. And every tray on display wants a garnish, so premium splits run faster too.

Sizing the order: start from a number you trust

• If you have last year's figures, start there: festive-period cashew consumed, adjusted for how this year's bookings compare. This beats any rule of thumb.
• If you don't, take your normal weekly cashew usage and apply the multiple your sales history suggests for peak weeks — for many shops peak katli weeks run at several times normal volume. Be honest rather than hopeful.
• Split the total by grade using the table above — the classic mistake is ordering one big lot of a single grade and running out of gift-box wholes mid-season.
• Add a buffer of 10–15% on LWP and splits; unsold ground-grade stock carries into normal production, so the downside is small.

When to book — and why staggered beats one mountain

Book your requirement 4–6 weeks before the festival, then take delivery in two or three staggered lots rather than one. Early booking locks availability of the exact grades you need before peak-season scramble; staggered delivery means every lot is fresher, your cash isn't buried in a store room, and you're not storing a season's stock through the warmest, busiest weeks of your year.

• Lot 1 (4–5 weeks out): LWP and splits to begin festive production and build inventory of long-keeping sweets.
• Lot 2 (2–3 weeks out): the main volume — remaining LWP, gift-box wholes as bookings firm up.
• Lot 3 (festival week, optional): a top-up based on how sales are actually running.

Festive pitfalls that cost real money

• The last-minute market scramble — peak-week spot buying means paying top rates for whatever grade is left, exactly when your margins matter most.
• Quality slipping in the rush — inspect festive lots as carefully as off-season ones: colour, snap, smell. One rancid batch in Diwali katli does reputation damage a discount never repairs.
• Storing the mountain badly — a season's cashew in a warm store room degrades fast. Follow the same rules as always: sealed until needed, cool and dry, strict first-in-first-out.
• Forgetting the day after — order so your final lot tapers into normal production, not into months of leftover gift-box wholes.

Products in this guide

Kaju (Cashew)

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