Introducing Organic Kenari Nuts to the World at BIOFACH Special 2021
Originally published: 2021 · Last updated: August 2026
In 2021, Kawanasi was invited to present Organic Kenari Nuts as part of BIOFACH Special, continuing the international introduction of an Indonesian forest nut that was still largely unfamiliar to consumers outside its country of origin.
The presentation came at an important point in Kenari's development.
Following its first international appearance at SIAL Paris in 2018, Kawanasi had obtained organic certification in 2019 and introduced Kenari to the international organic market at BIOFACH Nuremberg in 2020.
BIOFACH Special 2021 provided an opportunity to go beyond introducing the product itself and explain what Kenari is, where it comes from, what makes it distinctive and how it could be used as a food ingredient and consumer product.
From a Little-Known Nut to a Story Worth Exploring
Kenari is a forest-origin nut from Indonesia.
For international audiences, one of the first challenges was simply understanding what Kenari was.
Unlike almonds, macadamias or cashews, Kenari had relatively little recognition in international food markets.
The BIOFACH Special presentation therefore introduced Kenari from its origins, beginning with the forest and the communities connected to its supply.
The presentation explored the characteristics of Kenari and how it compares with more familiar nuts, helping international audiences understand where Kenari sits within the broader nut category.
Kenari from the Forest of Indonesia
A key part of the presentation was Kenari's origin.
Kenari trees occur naturally in the forests of Eastern Indonesia, where the fruit has long been known and used locally.
This forest origin is an important part of what distinguishes Kenari from more established commercial nut categories.
Kawanasi's work has focused on developing this forest product into a reliable food product while maintaining traceability from origin through processing.
Today, Kawanasi describes Kenari as a naturally occurring forest product harvested by local communities in Eastern Indonesia, with the supply chain extending from harvesting and post-harvest handling through processing and quality management.
Understanding Kenari's Characteristics
The presentation also explored the characteristics that make Kenari different from more familiar nuts.
Comparisons with almond and macadamia helped provide an accessible reference point for audiences who had never tasted or encountered Kenari before.
Kenari's distinctive texture, flavor and composition were presented as part of its potential rather than as characteristics that needed to be made similar to existing nuts.
This was an important part of introducing a new category.
Rather than asking how Kenari could become another almond or macadamia, the question was:
What can Kenari become on its own terms?
That question would continue to shape the development of East Forest and later Kenari applications.
Exploring Kenari's Nutritional Profile
The BIOFACH Special presentation also introduced the nutritional characteristics of Kenari.
The discussion included its minerals and amino acids, alongside its broader nutritional composition.
This helped position Kenari not only as an unusual forest nut, but also as an ingredient with characteristics worth exploring from a food and nutrition perspective.
Kawanasi's broader development work continues to include laboratory analysis and evidence around Kenari's nutritional composition, fatty acid profile, minerals and other quality characteristics. The company's current globalization plan identifies nutrition, fatty acids, minerals and magnesium as areas requiring documented evidence and dedicated knowledge content.
For the international market, establishing this type of information was important because a new food category needs more than an interesting story.
It needs reliable information that allows buyers, food businesses and consumers to understand the product.
From Kenari Nuts to Food Applications
The presentation also explored the potential applications of Kenari.
As a nut with a distinctive character, Kenari can be considered both as a snack and as an ingredient.
This broader potential would later become an important part of Kawanasi's business development, with Kenari being explored for applications including bakery, confectionery, ice cream and other food products.
Today, the East Forest platform also presents Kenari as something that can be explored beyond snacking, including by food businesses looking for a distinctive ingredient.
The objective was therefore not simply to create a market for one packaged product.
It was to demonstrate that Kenari could become a broader food ingredient and category.
Introducing East Forest
The presentation also introduced the development of East Forest, Kawanasi's consumer expression of Kenari.
East Forest was developed around the characteristics of Kenari itself, with an emphasis on careful handling, natural processing, quality control and continued product development.
The idea was to create products that allowed consumers to experience Kenari while preserving the characteristics that make the nut distinctive.
This approach continues today through the East Forest collection, which has expanded into multiple flavors and has received recognition at international food and organic trade events.
The Novel Food Journey
Another important part of the presentation was the progress of the EU Novel Food application.
At this stage, European market access was still part of an ongoing regulatory process.
For a relatively unfamiliar food such as Kenari, establishing the regulatory pathway was essential to its international development.
The Novel Food process required Kawanasi to build the necessary scientific and technical documentation and work through the European regulatory requirements.
The process would continue beyond the 2021 presentation.
In 2023, Kenari Nuts received EU Novel Food approval, allowing Kawanasi to move forward with the European market under the East Forest brand. The 2023 Anuga catalogue records the approval in March 2023 and the subsequent introduction of East Forest Kenari Nuts to the European market.
Why BIOFACH Special 2021 Was Significant
BIOFACH Special 2021 represented an important change in how Kenari was being presented internationally.
The earlier exhibitions had focused heavily on introducing the nut and understanding the market response.
The 2021 presentation allowed Kawanasi to provide a much deeper picture:
Where does Kenari come from?
What makes it different?
How does it compare with familiar nuts?
What does its nutritional profile look like?
How can it be used?
How is it connected to the forest and local communities?
Where was the regulatory process heading?
These questions remain central to the international development of Kenari.
Building Knowledge Around a New Food Category
Introducing a relatively unknown food to an international market requires more than creating demand.
It also requires building knowledge.
People need to understand the ingredient.
Buyers need to understand its characteristics and potential applications.
Food businesses need to understand how it can be used.
And regulators need the scientific and technical information necessary to assess it.
BIOFACH Special 2021 was one step in that process.
It helped move the international conversation around Kenari from simply:
“What is this nut?”
toward a deeper understanding of its origin, characteristics, nutrition, applications and regulatory journey.
That work continues today through Kawanasi's efforts to document and share knowledge about Kenari.
The Journey Continued
The international development of Kenari continued after BIOFACH Special 2021.
In 2022, Kawanasi returned to SIAL Paris to continue presenting Kenari and learning from the international food market.
In 2023, the journey reached several major milestones, including EU Novel Food approval, the international launch of East Forest in Europe and recognition at BIOFACH and Anuga.
The story that began with introducing an unfamiliar Indonesian forest nut to international audiences was becoming a much broader effort to establish Kenari as a food category with global potential.