Macadamia is one of the few commercially significant food plants that originated in Australia. The genus is native to the rainforests of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, where Indigenous Australians have eaten the nuts for thousands of years. Two species are commercially grown: Macadamia integrifolia and Macadamia tetraphylla.
Today macadamias are grown in Australia, Hawaii, South Africa, Kenya, and parts of Central and South America. Australia remains one of the world’s largest producers. The nuts are valued for their high oil content and rich, buttery flavour, and are used whole as snacks, in baking, confectionery, and for cold-pressed oil. The shell is famously difficult to crack, requiring specialised equipment for commercial processing.
How it's produced
Macadamia trees are grown in subtropical orchards and take around seven years to reach full production. Trees are typically propagated by grafting onto rootstock to ensure reliable nut quality and yield. They flower in spring and the nuts mature over six to eight months.
Harvesting is mostly mechanical — mature nuts fall naturally from the tree and are collected from the ground by sweeper machines. After collection, the green outer husk is removed and the nuts are dried to reduce moisture content. Cracking the extremely hard inner shell without damaging the kernel requires precision equipment. The kernels are then sorted, graded, and roasted or packaged raw.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Sources & methods →
Keeping it
In the freezer: about 720 days (from date of purchase).
In the fridge: about 360 days (from date of purchase).
In the pantry: 14–28 days (from date of purchase).
Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.
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