When Ganesh Nair started selling cashews in California in 2014, he wasn’t the first in his family to do so. The Nairs had been in the cashew business for more than 85 years. But Ganesh brought something unique to the family trade, and his ingenuity ultimately resulted in one of our favorite new snacks, Karma Nuts.

For starters, Ganesh has a Master’s Degree in Health Science and Technology from airfare’s smarter neighbor in Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Add in Ganesh’s two decades treating diabetes in healthcare facilities, and it’s clear: this man knows about health.

All that knowledge taught him quite a bit about the health benefits of cashews. As many loyal airfare snackers already know, nuts in general are among the healthiest foods we can eat. A PREDIMED study showed that eating a handful of mixed nuts per day can cut the risk of stroke in half. Eating nuts has also been linked to decreased cancer proliferation, lower cholesterol and heart disease, and numerous other benefits. Kind of nutty to think about.

And cashews have some specific upsides. First, lowering blood pressure, which could help the more than 1 billion adults worldwide with hypertension. Second, cashews are good source of monounsaturated fats, protein, copper, and a handful of other vitamins and minerals.

In 2014, Genesh blended his health expertise with his family’s cashew experience to create the “wrapped cashew.” This style is roasted with the skin on, yielding a crunchier taste and leaving more of the nut’s natural nutrients intact. That’s a win we in the snack biz call cash(ew)-money.

We admire Ganesh for his motivations as much as his method. Like our team and most of our snack partners, Ganesh was frustrated by the lack of snacks made with #actuallyhealthy ingredients. He took on the oil-fried options lining supermarket shelves and brought his wrapped cashews to the world, calling them Karma Nuts.

While they’re new to the airfare assortment, the word has been getting around in certain, exclusive circles. In 2016, Karma was recognized as the “Best New Snack” at the world’s largest natural products show, Expo West. More recently, Ganesh’s Karma Nuts were part of the $140,000 worth of free SWAG for attendees of both the Grammys and the Oscars.

Bottom line—these nuts are good.

Don’t take our word for it, though. Add them to your next order, and as always, we’ll replace anything you don’t love. It’s just good…karma.

Enjoy.

The new snacks

Sea Salt

Roasted cashews can be addicting, and this wrapped cashew is off the charts. “Dusted with sea salt, it's a soul-satisfying experience,” Karma says of its creation. It’s a good thing we limit ourselves to single-serving sizes.

Lime Twist

Lime is great. Cashews are great. It turns out, lime cashews are also great. “The perfect blend of zesty and tangy lime flavor,” Karma says. The surprise we didn’t coming is the onion powder. It threw us off at first, and we quickly became believers on first taste. These are addicting, refreshing, and savory.

Golden Turmeric

Turmeric has been all the rage recently, and for good reason. It’s been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and may help slow cancer growth. The flipside can be taste—often earthy, bitter, and spicy—especially for those not well-versed in the healthy eating arts. Not so, however for Karma Nuts’ version. These balance the turmeric flavor with other species to create something even a health rookie will love.