Macadamia nuts undergo one of the most complex processing journeys of any food nut. The incredibly hard shell and delicate kernel require precision at every stage.
Harvesting
Macadamia nuts are not picked from the tree. Instead, mature nuts fall naturally to the ground when ripe, usually between March and September (in the Southern Hemisphere). Workers collect them from the orchard floor, either by hand or using mechanical harvesters. At our Umkondo farm, hand harvesting ensures we select only the best-quality nuts.
Dehusking
Each nut arrives enclosed in a green outer husk. This must be removed within 24 hours of harvesting to prevent the kernel from deteriorating. Dehusking machines crack open and strip away the husk, leaving the hard inner shell.
Drying
The in-shell nuts are then dried carefully over several weeks to reduce moisture content from around 25% to approximately 1.5%. This is critical: dry the nuts too quickly and the kernel cracks; too slowly and mould develops. Most producers use a combination of sun-drying and controlled-environment drying.
Cracking
The macadamia shell is the hardest of any commercial nut, requiring around 300 pounds of pressure per square inch to crack. Industrial crackers use precisely calibrated rollers or blades to break the shell without damaging the valuable kernel inside. Even so, some kernel breakage is inevitable.
Sorting and Grading
Cracked kernels are sorted by size, colour, and quality. Whole kernels command the highest prices, while halves and pieces go to different markets. Electronic colour sorters and manual inspection ensure only the best kernels make it to premium products.