Cashew Americas

What Cashew Americas does

Cashew Americas, headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a specialty coatings manufacturer serving the North American market. Founded in 2017 as Inova Coatings LLC and rebranded following a majority acquisition by Japan's Cashew Co. Ltd in the same year, the company operates as the Americas-region subsidiary of its Japanese parent. It employs 11-50 people and manufactures decorative and functional coating products — primers, monocoats, basecoats, topcoats, colorants and pigments, vacuum metallization coatings, and glass coatings — applied across plastic, glass, and metal substrates (PA, PP, POM, PC, ABS, PC/ABS, aluminum, stainless steel, magnesium) using waterborne, solventborne, and UV cure chemistries.

The company's technical core is its proprietary multi-layer coating systems, including a complete vacuum metallization stack that sandwiches a thin metal layer between proprietary primer, basecoat, and topcoat layers to produce real metal finishes (sandblasted aluminum, mirror, gold) on plastic substrates. Its topcoat technologies deliver defined mechanical properties (hardness, abrasion resistance, UV and scratch resistance) and chemical resistance (against solvents, cosmetics, sunscreen, bug spray) with adjustable gloss levels from 2 to 90+ degrees and soft-touch velvet options. The company serves four end markets — cosmetic packaging, domestic appliances, golf balls, and transportation — via custom-developed coatings formulated to customer specifications.

Cashew Americas operates a sales-led go-to-market model, engaging customers through direct consultation to determine whether existing portfolio products suffice or custom development is required. Revenue is generated primarily through direct hardware sales of coating products to OEMs and refurbishers across the US and Mexico. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers must request quotes, reflecting the customized nature of most engagements. The company has no public funding history, as it is funded and backed by its Japanese parent, Cashew Co. Ltd.

Name

Cashew Americas

Legal name

Cashew Americas

Website

https://www.cashewamericas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cashew Americas is a South Carolina-based specialty coatings manufacturer (majority-owned by Japan's Cashew Co. Ltd) that develops and sells decorative and functional coating systems — including vacuum metallization, primers, basecoats, and topcoats — for cosmetic packaging, domestic appliances, golf balls, and transportation customers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rock Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Coating Products Sales: Cashew Americas generates revenue through the sale of decorative coating products including primers, basecoats, topcoats, monocoats, colorants, pigments, and vacuum metalizing products. The company manufactures and sells products directly to customers in transportation and consumer goods markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cashew Americas manufactures and sells decorative and functional coating systems, including primers, monocoats, basecoats, topcoats, colorants and pigments, and a complete vacuum metallization coating stack for plastic, glass, and metal substrates. Products are sold primarily to OEMs and refurbishers in cosmetic packaging, domestic appliances, golf ball, and transportation markets across North America, with significant custom development work tailored to specific customer specifications.

Product overview

Cashew Americas is a coatings solutions provider offering a portfolio of decorative and functional coating products for the transportation and consumer goods markets. The product line includes core coating types (Primers, Monocoats, Basecoats, Topcoats) that can be used individually or in combinations, plus specialized Colorants and Pigments for color matching. For vacuum metallization applications, the company offers a complete system of Primers, Basecoats, and Topcoats designed to work together on plastic substrates (PA, PP, PC, ABS, PC/ABS). Glass coating products include Monocoats and compatible Colorants for high gloss, low gloss, pearlescent, and textured finishes. The products support waterborne, solventborne, and UV cure technologies and are applied over various substrates including aluminum, stainless steel, magnesium, and plastics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primers Primers and adhesion promoters designed to provide good adhesion between chosen substrates (plastics such as PA, PP, POM and metals such as aluminum, stainless steel, magnesium) and basecoats or monocoats. Formulated to support multi-layer decorative coating systems.
• Monocoats Single-layer coating products offering strong performance characteristics at a controlled total decoration cost. Available in clear, pigmented, solid, or semi-transparent colors, with optional pearlescent pigments, micas, or metal flakes, using 2K PU and UV cure technologies.
• Basecoats Basecoat technology delivering decorative effects including pearlescent, mica, metal, solid, or semi-transparent colors. Provides strong adhesion to substrates including PC, ABS, and PC/ABS blends as part of multi-layer coating systems.
• Topcoats Topcoat technologies providing final durability, feel, and gloss level for coating systems, ranging from transparent to gloss levels of 2 to 90+ degrees. Available with soft/velvet-feel variants and chemical resistance against solvents, makeup, lipstick, suntan lotion, and bug spray, using 2K PU and UV chemistries.
• Colorants and Pigments Range of colorants and pigments used in combination with topcoat products (including glass monocoats and vacuum metalizing topcoats) to match exact customer color requirements.
• Vacuum Metalizing Coating System Complete vacuum metallization coating system comprising Primers (for PA or PP substrate adhesion; may require plasma or corona pre-treatment), Basecoats (adhesion and leveling layer for PC, ABS, PC/ABS substrates producing mirror-like appearance), and Topcoats/Clearcoats (protection of the metallized layer, with special versions that accept hot-stamp decoration). Together they create real metal appearances on plastic substrates such as sandblasted aluminum, mirror, and gold finishes.
• Glass Coating Products (Monocoats, Colorants and Pigments) High gloss and low gloss monocoats applicable directly to glass substrates, available in clear or pigmented options including pearlescent, mica, metal flake, solid, or semi-transparent colors, plus compatible colorants and pigments for color matching with formulation assistance.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Red Spot Paint & Varnish: Specialty coatings manufacturer focused on high-performance coatings for plastics and other demanding substrates, including UV-cure and decorative finishes. Highly comparable to Cashew Americas given its niche decorative coatings focus on plastics, custom development approach, and similar scale.
• Mankiewicz: Specialty coatings manufacturer focused on high-quality finishes for plastics, aerospace, and industrial applications including decorative topcoats and UV-cure systems. Comparable to Cashew Americas in its specialty decorative focus on plastic substrates and similar custom formulation philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• PPG Industries: Global multibillion-dollar paints and coatings manufacturer serving transportation, industrial, packaging, and consumer markets. Competes with Cashew Americas in automotive, packaging, and specialty industrial coatings but operates at vastly broader scale and portfolio scope.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Global coatings company specializing in transportation coatings, refinish, and industrial applications. Closely comparable to Cashew's transportation segment focus and customer base, though at much larger scale and with a broader technology portfolio.
• AkzoNobel: Global paints and coatings major serving decorative, automotive, industrial, and packaging markets. Overlaps with Cashew Americas across multiple served verticals but at vastly larger scale and brand portfolio.
• Sherwin-Williams: Global paints and coatings company serving industrial, packaging, and consumer markets. Overlaps with Cashew Americas in industrial and specialty decorative finishes but with significantly larger scale and broader product offerings.
• BASF Coatings: Division of BASF focused on automotive OEM coatings, refinish, and industrial coatings. Comparable to Cashew Americas in transportation and industrial specialty finishes, particularly for plastics and decorative applications.
• Kansai Paint: Japanese global coatings manufacturer serving automotive, industrial, and decorative markets. Directly comparable to Cashew Americas' parent Cashew Co. Ltd, and serves many of the same end markets globally including automotive and industrial coatings.
• Nippon Paint Holdings: Japanese global coatings major serving automotive, industrial, and decorative markets. Comparable to Cashew Americas through shared Japanese parentage and overlap in transportation, packaging, and specialty coatings.
• RPM International: US-listed specialty coatings holding company with multiple niche-focused subsidiaries serving industrial, transportation, and consumer markets. Comparable to Cashew Americas in its specialty coatings focus and custom formulation philosophy, though at much larger and more diversified scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cashew-americas-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cashew Americas