Origin Nuts, formerly known as TBK Green Food, is the first company in the world to introduce the concept of Specialty Macadamia and bring these bags of nutty goodness to the market. Read on to discover the story behind those amazing nuts and how they may fit into your healthy lifestyle!
From Vietnam’s Central Highlands to Australian Farms
500 macadamia trees were first planted in Thao's family farm in Lam Dong, Central Highlands of Vietnam. It marks the beginning of Origin Nut's journey producing the finest and purest macadamia nuts for consumers.
Despite being the healthiest nuts, macadamia is such a hard-to-please nut. Macadamia nutshell is extremely hard, not to mention its kernel is super sensitive. The wrong cracking technique can damage the quality of the kernels easily. The team took on the macadamia industry's biggest challenge, to crack the macadamia nutshell, still, preserve the natural taste. In 2012, Origin Nuts has successfully launched in-shell macadamia using “single cracker” technique. This technique retains the purest taste of macadamias. 3 years later, a Vietnam-Australia alliance was formed between Origin Nuts and the most renowned Australian macadamia growers in Australia, the Knapick family. This alliance has set for a greater mission: contribute the best quality of Australian macadamia nuts to the world.
The Australian macadamias are then processed in its Queens Factory in Lam Dong, Vietnam. Queens Factory is a family-friendly workplace that supports more than 100 villagers, who are mostly young women and middle-aged housewives in need of sustainable employment.
So, What is Specialty Macadamia?
In the International Macadamia Symposium 2018, Origin Nuts introduced its Specialty Macadamia for the first time. This immediately created a hit in the market where suppliers for high-quality nuts are limited. Currently, Origin Nuts is the sole supplier of specialty macadamia nut in shell products in the U.S. We are closer to our dream.
Specialty macadamia has become a term for nuts that are farmed, harvested, and processed to a significantly higher standard than the average ones. Five quality requirements were also established to identify specialty macadamia among others.
1. Single Origin
Specialty macadamia nuts originate from the “single" region that produces the best quality nuts, Australia.
Macadamia trees prefer fertile, well-drained soil, and moderate temperatures (around 25°C). Origin Nuts has decided to partner with a GMP-certified farm in Queensland, whose favorable environmental conditions would enable the macadamia trees to thrive at their best. By choosing Queensland, the company pays homage to the history of these nuts. 70% of the macadamia trees we have nowadays are said to have grown from this state since the 19th century. Australian nuts also tend to have the most stable quality, with a typical buttery aftertaste and a high nutritional content. It's a result of the country’s constant investment in harvesting and grain-processing technologies. Australia contributes more than 22% of the global yield every year. That makes this country the second leading supplier of macadamia in the world. There is no better place to produce macadamias than the area where they first originated from. With just the right soil, the right climate, and under the right hands, the northeast coast of Australia is truly the home of the world’s finest nuts.
2. Fresh and pure taste
Unlike most macadamia products in the market, specialty macadamia retains its natural taste.
Macadamia nuts have extremely hard shells. Without a proper cracking process, the kernels will be damaged and the taste will go bad easily. Specialty macadamia is the highest quality macadamia nut in the shell. Its taste has to be pure. Origin Nuts has successfully obtained a new technique, the “single cracker” technique. The shells are at different thickness levels. Improper pressure breaks the shells and damages the kernels. “Single cracker” technique gives special attention to the cracking. Macadamia nuts are cracked one by one instead of all at once. This leaves the minimal effect on the kernel and preserves the finest taste from farm to hand. Origin Nut's specialty macadamia in-shell, therefore, can be preserved up to 2 years.
3. First-rate appearance
Specialty macadamias are consistent in size with shining bright brown shells.
Taste aside, specialty macadamia also needs a nice appearance and would make for a great gift to your loved ones. At Origin Nuts, macadamias are hand-picked to have roughly similar sizes, once harvested from the supplier. During the manufacturing process, further sorting is applied to remove nuts with defects, such as those with insect damages, broken shells, or discoloration. They then go through a roasting and brushing phase, which maintains the same heat treatment for each nut and polishes its outer surface. Because not all the defects are visual, the macadamias must be retested by a cracking and kernel hand-checking system, which prevents bad seeds from contaminating the whole batch with their pathogen.
4. Easily cracked, conveniently consumed
No tool is needed to crack a specialty macadamia nut in-shell.
Being one of the toughest nuts in the world, the common macadamia nut in-shell products pose a challenge to anyone who wants to eat them. Those who often pay more attention to the taste of the macadamia and tend to leave them completely intact after harvesting. The downside of this approach is quite apparent as they must always carry an opening tool. Sometimes, even with the opening tool, it is impossible to crack. Specialty macadamia is the solution to this problem. Now Origin Nuts has come up with a nut-shelling technique that combines both convenience and deliciousness, enables consumers to enjoy macadamias anytime with ease. Imagine macadamia nuts that are cracked effortlessly without any tool. Isn’t this the best way to have them?
5. Nutrients intact
Nutrients are preserved to its highest level.
In the West, manufacturers try to solve inconveniences when cracking a nutshell by producing whole-shelled kernels. However, 80% of the fat in the macadamia is saturated, once exposed to air for too long, the nuts become oily and less nutritious. With the natural protection using its nutshell, macadamia kernels are shielded from insects, bacteria, and oxidation. Consumers will have a whole package of not only taste but also nutrients.
You, the customers, are the ones to complete the lifecycle of specialty macadamia. By choosing this product, you show not only a commitment to a higher standard of taste and flavor but also a contribution to the lives of every person behind these yummy bags of nuts. The macadamias have gone from farms to factories before reaching your hand: they are the product of a dream that starts from the Central Highlands and spans across the globe. Whether you use those nuts as snacks with friends, gifts for family, or treats for yourself, we hope that you enjoy them because they are made just for you!
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