Aaron Fishman is the Founder and CEO of East Bali Cashews (EBC) – a cashew processing business with a factory in Karangasem, one of the poorest regions of Bali.

Aaron first visited East Bali as a health care volunteer and discovered an impoverished region of cashew farmers. Farmers sold raw cashews to traders who shipped them overseas for processing. He saw an opportunity to process cashews domestically in Bali, rather than shipping the raw product overseas for processing as is currently the standard.

Aaron founded EBC in 2012 – At the core of his idea was an aim to combine sustainable, eco-friendly business practices with its mission of community improvement and women empowerment. Since the company’s launch, EBC has already created over 350 jobs for local people (85% of whom are women), raising the income of poor families and achieving measurable impact on education and health outcomes for the local community. EBC is also the first Bali-based processor to use modern machinery, with increased efficiency compared to traditional processing techniques.