Macadamia nuts thrive in China’s growing healthy snack market

In the wake of China’s burgeoning enthusiasm for healthy snacks, macadamia nuts and other nuts have emerged as key players, ushering in a “golden age” of macadamia consumption. The German-Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named the genus Macadamia in 1857 in honor of his friend, Scottish-Australian chemist, teacher and politician John Macadam. Toward the end of the 19th century, large quantities of macadamia nuts native to Australia were planted in Hawaii, which earned the nuts the moniker xiàwēiyí guǒ (“Hawaii nuts”) in China. Global in-shell macadamia nut supply is forecast to see a compound annual growth rate of 11% over the next five years, with supply rising to over 500,000 metric tons (3.5% moisture) by 2027. In 2022, the supply was 298,000 metric tons. In 2020, the industry predicted that supply would double from 2020 to 2024 and triple by the end of the decade, and numbers are tracking to this projection. Established in 2021, the World Macadamia Organisation is ...