The macadamia tree is native to the rainforests of Queensland, among other places, but is now also cultivated in New Zealand, South Africa, Africa, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The evergreen tree can grow up to 15 m tall and produces chestnut-like stone fruits. It only bears its first fruits after 10 years. At first glance, harvesting seems quite simple – the ripe fruits, which contain the valuable kernels, simply fall from the tree and are then collected by the harvesters. But anyone who thinks that’s all there is to it is mistaken. To get to the kernel, the delicious macadamia nut, you need time and patience. The shell of the macadamia nut is so hard that it must be dried for a long time before cracking until it becomes porous. Only then can the kernel be revealed.
