Going Nuts on the South Coast!
A SASTA field day was held on 20 June 2024 to showcase macadamia nut cultivation and processing. A diversified farming operation at Selsdon Park Estate, Trafalgar, South Coast, was presented by Mark Brand and family, where both sugarcane and macadamia nut cultivation are done supremely well. Mark’s son, Justin, explained the intensive fertilisation and mulching operation as well as the insecticide spray programme for the trees. Green nuts fall to the ground and are harvested by hand. We saw the impressive mac dehusker and drier in operation and Mark’s wife, Megan, emphasised the necessity to sort out by hand any sub-standard material prior to sending to the processing plant to maximise revenue streams.
Macadamia nuts being sorted
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The view inside the drying facility
A short distance away in Ramsgate is one of three Green Farms Nut Company processing factories (https://www.gfnc.co.za/). Here we were welcomed by Thomas Baker (Process Manager) and CFO, Ann Baker, who both explained the various stages of processing. We could look onto the factory floor and pan to different operations from cameras situated in the boardroom. The factory operates 24/7, processing 55 tons of nuts per day with a staff complement of 450, employed from the local community. Other than the nuts, products are macadamia oil, macadamia paste and braai briquettes, the latter made from macadamia shells.
Green Farms Nut Company processing factory
By Sandy Snyman, SASTA Vice-President
