Torere Macadamia Limited’s vision is to develop an Organic Macadamia Grower Cooperative and Macadamia Marketing Company.
That vision became a reality when MAF SFF approved funding for the 1st July 2011 to establish the macadamia co-operative. The SFF funding also covers costs to collect Yield data from the commercial dropping varieties that Torere Macadamias have supplied from 2004. Vanessa Hayes is the cooperative Project Team Leader and the New Zealand Macadamia Society and Torere Macadamias Ltd are equal co-funding partners for the Yield data project.
Growers of the new commercial macadamia varieties have the opportunity to eventually own and manage their own macadamia processing factory and benefit from marketing their own organic, spray-free macadamia nut products nationally and internationally. These new growers have the unique advantage of being able to grow macadamias in New Zealand without sprays or chemicals. This is not easily attainable in other countries where macadamia nut-borer insects are prevalent. These new macadamia growers also have the distinct advantage of growing better quality, higher producing and more financially viable macadamia varieties that were not available previously in New Zealand.
New commercial macadamia growers are given the opportunity to become part of this Organic Macadamia Grower Cooperative and share the many benefits gained through better bulk buying, purchasing and marketing power. Forming regional Macadamia grower clusters or networks within a region to utilise contractor services for macadamia orchard maintenance, harvesting and drying is another great benefit for future Macadamia Cooperative members.
Torere Macadamias Limited believe that it is vital for macadamia growers to control the ownership and marketing of their product right through to the macadamia consumer and have identified Sun Coast Gold’s Macadamia Grower Cooperative (www.suncoastgold.com.au) as an ideal model to follow.
