Location Farming Philosophy Processing Products Health Benefits
Our farm is located on the Kona Coast of the Big Island, Hawaii, in the southern region called Honaunau. The processing facility is on Napo’opo’o
Road, which winds down to historic Kealakekua Bay (the view of the coastline there is so beautiful we just had to put it on our label!) The orchard is mature and planted with a number of varieties of macadamia nuts, most of which were started from seed by Meris over 25 years ago!
Our farm is maintained using environmentally friendly, bio-organically established practices. Trees are fertilized foliarly.There is minimal use of a biological herbicide. The results of this program are quite striking: healthy trees, shiny leaves, sweet soil and over sized nuts that are absolutely delicious.
South Kona Macadamia Nut Company uses a patented cracking system (invented by Bill Whaling of Waiohinu, Hawaii) that uses a revolut
ionary method to crack the hard shells. Major benefits of this method are 1) fresh nuts with a high moisture content can be cracked, and 2) more whole nuts are obtained because the nuts are more resilient to the oscillation action of the cracker (The conv
entional method is to dry the nuts in silos, crack using compression crackers and then roast at high heat). Our process eliminates the “pre-drying” stage altogether. The nuts are then dehumidified to a moisture content of less than 1%. The drying temperature does not exceed 105F, so the enzymes are unchanged and the nuts are “raw.” Dehumidifying, as opposed to traditional roasting, produces nuts with a stable oil content and fresh taste not found in roasted macs. Brad is constantly fine-tuning the drying process to improve efficiency and quality as this processing method is still new to the industry. We are the only company in the world that processes macadamia nuts in this fashion.
- Salted mac nuts are lightly salted with sea salt to enhance the flavor.
- Unsalted mac nuts are left natural so the distinct flavor can be enjoyed.
- Tamari-flavored mac nuts! Tamari is a rich shoyu (soy sauce) which gives the nuts a delicate Asian flavor. A gift pack of salted and tamari-flavored nuts (each in a 4 oz package) tied off with a gold ribbon makes a wonderful gift for friends and co-workers to help spread aloha.
- Macadamia nut butter, ground from the same quality nuts we use in our other products, is a great way to enjoy mac nuts (especially for those who have health situations which could prevent them from eating regular nuts). Spread it on toast or an English muffin for a delightful breakfast treat (macadamia nut butter is also a very effective facial scrub!).
- Macadamia nut oil has a subtle but distinctive mac nut character (just natural, no flavoring).
- Honey-Mac Spread, is a blend of 100% Hawaiian lehua honey and mac nut butter — another delicious condiment! Most of the oil has been removed so it could be called “low fat.”
Health Benefits of Macadamia Nuts
“Recent scientific research on macadamia nut nutrition has dispelled the notion of macadamia nuts as a high-fat product. Research shows that adding macadamia nuts or macadamia nut oil to the diet can actually lower total blood cholesterol, and most importantly, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Macadamia nuts and cooking oil are 80 percent monounsaturated fats, 6 percentage points higher than - and thus, more healthy than - olive oil. Promotion of these recent findings is further good news for the macadamia nut industry, as healthy eating continues to be a high priority among Americans and other nationalities.” From an article in West Hawaii Today by Paula Helfrich
NOTE: No peanuts or other nuts are processed in this facility.
In Memorium
Louis V spielman, our partner for over 10 years, died on March 16, 2010. Through his support and belief in this venture South Kona Macadamia Nut Company has been able to bring you the best mac nuts for your health and pleasure! We will continually strive to be a super artisanal company as his memory and friendship requires no less.
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