Empangeni goes nuts

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EMPANGENI is now home to a major macadamia processing plant, Mayo Macs KZN, following a joint venture between 100 farmers and Mayo Macs Macadamias Pty Ltd.

The factory, situated on the R102 near Felixton Mill, officially opened its doors on Monday.

The new facility, which in October was still a barren, muddy field, took five months to build and equip, despite builders and contractors battling the wet weather conditions.

Considered to be a high-energy food containing no cholesterol or trans fatty acids, macadamia nuts are fast becoming a lucrative business for the shareholders of the KZN Macadamia Growers’ company.

In April this year the machinery was switched on and the factory came to life with a projected target of 4 000 tons of macadamia passing through the factory this year, said Stuart Gregory, a director of Mayo Mac KZN, who has been with the company for the last 14 years.

Mayo Macs has depots and drying facilities in Levubu, Mpumalanga and KZN, while processing takes place in state-of-the-art processing plants in Mpumalanga and KZN. The company has been supplying macadamias to clients all over the world since 1999.

The Process

Standard 11.34kg cartons are used to pack the macadamia kernel which is then sold in all the various internationally recognized styles.

Mayo Macs was the first processor of Macadamia nuts in South Africa to make extensive use of colour sorters in its processes. By employing this technology and continuously upgrading equipment the processing capabilities remain in line with expectations from the first world with regards to quality and food safety.

All aspects of processing including quality control are done so via dedicated computer software ensuring that all kernel and nuts are traceable from the various points of delivery and drying through all the stages of processing, packing and dispatch.

Macadamia shells are sold locally and internationally for a variety of applications, ranging from the burning of the shells to generate heat in industrial processes, to serving as the base material in the production of activated carbon.

The future looks bright for the local industry while the North Coast has some of the best growing conditions in the world. “We have the right climate to produce a high quality kernel,” added Gregory.