I had never tried macadamia nuts until I visit Hawaii. Well, let me tell you, I fell in love with them. If you have a chance to visit a macadamia nut farm on your Hawaii vacation, your tongue will thank you. So, let’s revisit a slightly updated blast-from-the-past post, Going Nuts Over Macadamias, that was originally published October of 2007.
Did you know that macadamia trees are not indigenous to Hawaii? I didn’t either until I met Tuddie,the owner of Purdy’s Farm on Molokai. The macadamia nut tree is originally from Australia, but Hawaii is credited with creating the industry for the nut.
Tuddie enthusiastically shares his knowledge about growing macadamia in Hawaii. He showed us the entire life cycle of the nut from flower to harvest.
Being a very tactile person, I enjoyed feeling the texture of the macadamia tree leaves. They’re stiff and remind me of an extra large holly leaf..
On our visit to Purdy’s Farm, Tuddie generously encouraged us to crack open as many nuts as we wanted and eat them right out of the shell. That’s how he sells most of the nuts from his farm. He doesn’t use any additives, preservatives or oils to process them like the big producers do. If you are interested in trying all natural nuts you can order them directly from Purdy’s Farm via this order form. Just bear in mind that Purdy’s nuts are unprocessed and have a one month shelf life. Trust me, once you taste them, you won’t have to worry that they’ll be around for a month or longer. 🙂
Where to visit a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii:
On Molokai –
On the Big Island –
On Oahu –
Are you nuts over macadamias, too? What’s your favorite flavor? Have you visited a macadamia nut farm or factory in Hawaii? Please share your nutty experiences with macadamias in the comments.
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Hi! I'd love to visit a mac nut farm and see the trees that they're grown on but we're only going to Oahu and not the other islands. Does Tropical Farms have a farm itself that you can walk around or is it just a store?
Thanks!
Anne Marie -
It's mostly just a store with private gardens nearby. I do believe they have a single macadamia nut tree on site that visitors can see.
I believe they contract farm tours out with Ali'i Tours. Also, you might want to consider the Kualoa Ranch "Hawaiian Fishpond and Garden Tour" that's nearby. You can find both companies online.
Any Macadamia farms or factories in Maui? Any other similar sites there?
Thanks
To our knowledge, there aren't any macadamia nut farms on Maui. As an alternative, consider one of the pineapple farm/plantation tours or coffee farm tour.
Additional Maui agricultural/farming tours to consider:
- O'o organic farm to table tour: https://www.govisithawaii.com/2013/05/20/organic-farm-to-table-tour-at-oo-farm-on-maui/
- Surfing Goat Dairy Farm: https://www.govisithawaii.com/2012/02/13/mauis-surfing-goat-dairy-fun-for-kids-of-all-ages/
Hi,
I wan to see the whole process of Macadamia production
From seeds, planting, growing, grafting, harvesting,
To cracking, Processing into chocolate or oils
To shipping.
are there any tours for this?
thanks
Charles
I'm not sure if you'll see all the detail you're looking for but going to the the Mauna Loa visitors center in Hilo is probably the closest to what you're hoping to see.