China visit

China is such a fast-changing market, and it was fantastic to be able to visit again. Over the last 18 months there has been notable growth in macadamia consumption, with some industry experts estimating +30% more in consumer sales year-on year. Traditionally China has been a nut-in-shell market focused on gifting with about 90% of sales in the few months leading up to Chinese New Year. This has changed, and now an estimated 40% of consumption is outside of the festival season driven by many more informal snacking moments. A new product format, crispy coated macadamia – of which the most popular flavour is wasabi – has extensive distribution in snack outlets, supermarkets, and online. China is a significant producer of macadamias, and engaging with key industry bodies was valuable as we build opportunities for future collaboration. The Lin’an district in Huangzhou, an area where a lot of processing occurs, hosted together with China Chamber of Commerce CFNA, the very impressive China International Tree Nut Conference. Thanks to Mabel Zhuang and the team at MZMC for their support in this visit.