The macadamia nuts for our organic macadamia nut oil come from Kenya. There, the macadamia nut trees grow in controlled organic mixed culture in the midst of coffee plants, banana trees, mango and avocado trees. Each of the Kenyan smallholders around Mount Kenya cultivates about 1-2 hectares of land, on which there are up to 20 macadamia trees in addition to the other plants. This small-scale mixed farming promotes biodiversity in the region and enables organic farming without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers - certified compost is used instead.
The Macadamia Macadamia ternifolia is actually not a nut, but a drupe. The fruits can only be harvested from the trees from the 7th year onwards, depending on the age, a tree bears between 20kg and 80kg of macadamias. The main harvest takes place between February and April. Still on the spot, the smallholders peel off the green fruit skin of the macadamias.

They then sell their harvest to our supplier at a fair price. Thanks to an innovative cell phone payment system, the trade can be tracked transparently for all sides, and a costly middleman or agent is not needed. Our supplier also supports the use of the Kenyan mobile financial platform J-Hela. It offers smallholder families the opportunity to save part of their income or to take out a loan at low interest rates to buy small agricultural machinery or seedlings.

In local factories, the macadamia nuts are dried and their very hard shells are removed using special machines. After further screening and selection, the nuts are vacuum-packed and shipped to Europe. The 'FSSC22000' certification ensures compliance with the high quality requirements. In Germany, our organic macadamia nut oil is then pressed from the nuts. From the press cake a high quality organic macadamia nut flour is produced, so all parts of the valuable macadamia are used.

Our Fair-For-Life certified supplier is not only committed to organic farming in Kenya, but also to the local infrastructure. In the company's own CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) guidelines, environmental protection, education and health form the three most important areas:
➤ Kenyan smallholders receive advanced training on topics such as organic farming or environmental protection. On tree planting days, seedlings are given away and trees are planted. In addition, our supplier supports a waste disposal project on site.
➤ In the area of education, toilets, access to clean drinking water, solar lighting or furniture for schools are provided. A scholarship program supports gifted students whose families cannot afford education.
➤ Our supplier supports home care for sick or elderly people through mobile nurses. Health consultations or programs on alcohol and drug problems take place in medical camps.
In this way, small farmers and their families can make a reliable living in the rural region and are not forced to migrate to the slums of Nairobi.