Our Macadamia

Macadamia plants spend two years in Culpan's nursery before going to the field. During that time we select the best seeds and care for them until they reach the right size and vigour, so that when they are planted out they can adapt well to the volcanic soil of the farm.

The harvest is manual and runs year-round: the nuts are picked directly off the ground, once they fall from the tree at their optimal ripeness. This way we make sure to process only mature nuts, with the creamy texture and clean flavour that characterise high-altitude macadamia.

Macadamia covers around 32% of Culpan's land, the second largest crop after coffee. It shares space with the coffee field, the protected native forest and small plots of corn and beans, in a mosaic that protects the biodiversity of the slopes of the Santiaguito.

Macadamia at Culpan grows between 1,271 and 1,432 metres above sea level, on the foothills of the Santiaguito volcano. This altitude, together with 3,770 mm of annual rainfall and the shade of the nearby forest, gives the nut its creamy and clean profile.

The pruning season at Culpan starts in July. This work keeps the trees healthy, opens up the canopy to let light in, removes weak or diseased branches and prepares the plant to sustain new harvests, year after year, without losing productivity.

After the two years in the nursery, the trees take several more years in the field to reach full production. That is why macadamia demands patience: the same philosophy that Culpan has applied to coffee for five generations carries over here, to a long-cycle crop that needs constant care.