Meet The Innovators behind Namaki Nuts

After the U.S. left Afghanistan in 2021, more than 75,000 Afghans had to leave their country, with 300 making Rhode Island their new home.

In 2023, Beautiful Day started the Afghan Women’s Project (AWP) as part of the Afghan Social Capital Initiative, supported by Rhode Island’s Department of Human Services. The AWP goals were to provide a welcoming space for Afghan women to gather, engage with the local community, and practice job-readiness skills. As many of the participants are skilled cooks, the program led to the creation of Afghan Women’s Catering, which now provides delicious food for events all over Rhode Island. In the course of exploring more ideas for putting the women’s skills and talents to work, the concept of Namaki Nuts was born!

Participants met regularly with Lynn, a longtime volunteer, to perfect their spiced nuts recipe.“We experimented and realized that people really liked our idea," said Lynn. “The women worked hard, and it's amazing to finally have it out in the world.”

Namaki literally means "salty" in both Dari and Pashto, the two most widely spoken languages in Afghanistan, but can also be used to describe someone who is trustworthy, funny, or charming. The women wanted to give their product a name that captures not only the taste but also the feeling of bringing a bit of spice to everyday moments. We hope you love Namaki Nuts as much as we do!