HISTORY/TIMELINE on COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION of MAC NUTS
1881 Tourist Always Loves Hawaii, Particularly Australian - In 1881, the first macadamia tree came to Hawaii. It was planted on the Island of Hawaii, the Big Island, at Kapulena near Waipi'o Valley, where it thrived.
1921 The First Landing - By 1921 a far-seeing Massachusetts man, Ernest van Tassel, thought there might be commercial potential in growing macadamias. He planted the first Hawaiian macadamia plantation on government land near Honolulu. Unfortunately, he was ahead of his time. Back then, seedlings from one parent tree could not produce nuts of consistent quality. By the 1930's a small amount of nuts were sold commercially, but large-scale commercial production was yet to come.
1922 Significant Contribution from the University of Hawaii - The University of Hawaii embarked on 20 years of testing and research. Some 60,000 trees were observed and tested in a painstaking process of selection and grafting. Eventually nine strains were developed that could consistently produce a high quality nut. That was the beginning of a long partnership between the University and Mauna Loa, the largest Macadamia Nut factory statewide and worldwide, which continues today.
1946 Mauna Loa's First Trial Plantation - The original plantation of what was to become Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation was established in 1946. The very first macadamia nut trees were planted early that year near Kea'au on the Big Island of Hawaii.
1956 Mac Nut Became a Commercial Crop - It has to be patient with macadamia trees. They take seven years to produce a commercial crop, and 15 to really pick up steam. But the original investment paid off, and the first commercial crop was harvested in 1956.
1976 Large Scale of Cultivation - By 1976 the old sugar plantation business in Hawaii was waning. Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation began converting five old sugar plantations to macadamia plantations at the rate of 1,000 acres a year. Most of those trees are still producing the premium macadamia nuts today.
1980's More Scientific Researches & Possible Genetic Modifications achieved by Mauna Loa - Funded by Mauna Loa, scientists had found better ways to crack the world's hardest nut. Our goal was to preserve more nut kernels whole. It worked, more commercially cultivated and processed, whole macadamia nuts were able to supply to cope with growing demand.
1990's Mauna Loa Boosted Sales - In 1984, a big eruption made headline news and the volcano, named Mauna Loa, became famous overnight. And Mauna Loa's macadamia plantations nestled on her slopes for the next decade. Visitors come to Hawaii, discovering the delicious taste of Mauna Loa macadamia nuts and demanding more on the nuts from stores back home on the mainland and the rest of the world.
2004 HERSHEY'S Bought a Taste of the Tropics - The Hershey Company, a famous Pennsylvania company, acquired the Mauna Loa brand, and pushed the production level to the possible roof.
TODAY Hershey's Mauna Loa becomes the Largest and Most Experienced Commercial Processor of Mac Nuts in the World - Its primary nut processing plant is still in Hilo, Hawaii. Since the 70's, more smaller macadamia nut farms and plantations were acquired by Mauna Loa. The remaining farmers are practicing commercial cultivation methods and approaches, as taught by Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa collects nuts from them to boost production to meet worldwide demand and makes itself the leader of Macadamia Nut commercial production.
0 comments
Post a Comment