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Byron Shire
June 27, 2026

New partly cracked macadamia nuts open with a key

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The Macadamia Castle’s nut bar and fine-food retail store has long garnered a reputation for delivering quality, locally sourced macadamia nuts and nut products to both locals and tourists. Now there’s a unique new macadamia product available through their retail store – easily opened partly cracked nuts in their shells.

The new nut product is based on a traditional Chinese method used to roast and then partly crack macadamias, and are perfect for cracking with friends – a key inside the pack is used to easily open the nuts, which are all natural and 100 per cent Australian.

Macadamias have long been a sought-after product for their taste and health properties and Australia is recognised as the global market leader in their production and sale, but the new product has an interesting background in China.

Peter Kermond of Macadamia Exports Australia discovered consumers in China using this method and recognised that this made the food more ‘traceable’. As the pure form of the product was delivered, extracted, and eaten immediately, the product was kept fresh, and cooking in the shell preserved some of the subtle flavours that can be lost during processing. But most importantly this method provided a social element that is traditionally part of the Chinese way of life, as people can crack and consume the snack together. 

Peter had long wished consumers could experience the same flavour and freshness that he had on the family farm and was inspired by this method of consuming macadamias. He developed this new product with this in mind.

The experience is truly remarkable, according to Macadamia Castle owner Tony Gilding.

‘The taste is fabulous, they are super crunchy, and it is so much fun cracking each nut with its own little key. This is the fastest-selling new product we have ever introduced at the Macadamia Castle. We have had trouble keeping the shelves full since its introduction just two weeks ago.

‘We are so excited about this product that The Macadamia Castle has recently become the exclusive Northern Rivers distributor, and can sell in larger quantities to local stores and restaurants.

‘We hope restaurants and bars can share this macadamia experience with their guests. Our guests at Bar Macca at the Castle find them a perfect accompaniment to a cold beer’, he said.

The packs retail for $9.95 for 500g in Sea Salt and Natural flavours.

More info: The Macadamia Castle on [email protected] or 6687 8432.



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