Macadamia Farm Management
Still the number one choice for the meticulous management of macadamia orchards
Est. 1987
The Path to Growing Greatness
From much humbler beginnings in the late 1980s, we have grown to become the industry leader in all aspects of cultivating Macadamias. We achieved this by employing industry experts that provide us with the latest insights into the Macadamia industry, enabling us to play a vital role in its growth and development. From initially managing 500 hectares (or about 12 farms) and having 15 employees, we have grown into one of the largest contributors to the Australian Macadamia industry. Today, we manage over 50 farms, amounting to over 5000 hectares and we employ over 200 team members.
Vision
To be the global leader in sustainable macadamia farming
Mission
To deliver excellence in all that we do
Values
Integrity, Respect , Accountability, Continuous Improvement
Sustainability
Because our trees will spend between 20 and 30 years in the same spot, we have seasonal initiatives aimed at reaching our long-term goal of aligning commercial agriculture with nature.
We have restored several deteriorated orchards by implementing intensive soil rejuvenation projects to ensure longevity and continued quality yields.
These efforts range from restoring the natural habitats surrounding our orchards to biological pest – and weed control, improving soil health by increasing organic matter and carbon levels to improve microbial activity, and improving soil structure and water retention capacity, through planting a variety of cover crops.
Our sustainability efforts reach further than our orchards and because we aid growers with all aspects involved in growing Macadamias, we also implement energy-efficient solutions at our processing facilities by alternating between both electricity and passive solar drying systems.
All our latest sustainability efforts and research efforts are showcased on our social media platforms.
Our Footprint
Perfectly suited for growing Macadamias, our operations and growing sites are situated on the East Coast of Queensland, Australia – the birthplace of this valued crop.
Bundaberg
Bundaberg is located about 400 kilometres north of Brisbane and is not only ranked as the city with the most consistent climate, being humid and subtropical but it is also well-known for its healthy soils and fair water availability. These qualities make Bundaberg the ideal location to grow large volumes of high-quality Macadamias. Since its establishment in the late 1800s, the agricultural landscape of Bundaberg has increased so tremendously that it is believed to have the capacity to feed the entire Australian population.
This city contributes a significant portion to the Australian agricultural industry, producing crops that range from Tomatoes to Citrus and everything in between. More significantly, Bundaberg also produces around 76% of Queensland’s Macadamias and 40% of the entire Australian production, making it the largest Macadamia growing region in the country.
When Macadamia Farm Management was founded in 1987, our operations consisted of about 12 orchards, translating to around 480 hectares, which were largely based in Bundaberg. We have since increased our footprint quite significantly to include several neighbouring areas all the way to Gympie.
Today, most of our mature orchards are based in Bundaberg and its surrounding regions, equating to thousands of hectares, and we are actively developing new orchards in these regions on an annual basis.
Maryborough
In 2015 we extended our operations to include Maryborough as part of our Macadamia growing regions and we have since developed 650 hectares or around 7 properties here. We employ a team dedicated to the Maryborough developments ranging from experienced production managers to horticultural experts.
Maryborough has seen significant orchard development activity, with more sugar cane farms being converted. Although most of our Macadamia orchards in Maryborough are still young, a significant number of them are now coming into full production, with output increasing to over 7 000 tons. This creates the ideal opportunity for us to take hands with established local businesses to develop the economy and uplift the local community.
Our Partners
Macadamia Farm Management was initially established with the vision to develop and manage Macadamia orchards for growers in a manner that would ensure consistent, above-average yields of exceptional quality. Since then, we have diversified our capabilities to become a trusted farm managing enterprise to both local and international investors and we have also been able to form joint ventures with a variety of role players in the Macadamia industry. They specialise in all aspects of the growth and the production of Macadamias, ranging from machinery – and asset holding companies, to state-of-the-art sorting facilities.
The goodwill we have established over the years and our partnerships with various entities in the agricultural industry, enable us to provide our investors with turnkey solutions, thereby allowing them to grow world-class businesses that offer them a long-term secure market position.
In addition to managing the orchards and land development operations for our investors, we are also appointed to manage several agricultural asset-holding entities that own machinery and other agricultural inputs to service our investors. The operational costs of these entities are shared between our investors based on a hectares planted ratio. This enables even our smallest growers to have access to ground-breaking technology, without needing to break the bank for asset acquisition – and maintenance costs. These entities also contract assets out to other independent agricultural operations, when not used or required by our investors. This further reduces the inputs that may be required by investors, as they are able to maintain their own operational – and asset acquisition costs by utilising income derived from servicing independent clients.
To be fully capable of providing our clients with all the services it takes to manage and grow a Macadamia investment, we have fostered partnerships with Macadamia transportation and processing entities. This allows our investors’ harvested nuts to be collected from the orchard to be sorted and processed for the local and export markets. These entities, Bundy Skip Bins and Bundy Sort, are both managed by Macadamia Farm Management, meaning that we have the opportunity to set the bar for quality and service delivery.
Bundy Sort was established when one of the asset-holding entities managed by Macadamia Farm Management, Bundaberg Macadamias, joined forces with a well-known local giant, Bundy Sugar, to form a state-of-the-art processing facility that provides drying and sorting services to both investors and the greater local Macadamia growing community.
We are greatly dependent on our support network and, with the rapid expansion of our operations, new joint ventures and partnering opportunities arise every season. We believe that much like sustainable agricultural practices will ensure the continued yield and quality from our orchards, our alliances with like-minded entities and individuals, allow us to share expertise and tackle industry challenges, which in turn will enable us to maintain our success.