Macadamia Nuts - History of Mauna Loa Macadamias

The Macadamia nut is delicious and a part of Hawaiian history. Here's how macadamia nuts started to grow in Hawaii.Hawaii is the macadamia nut capital of the world, growing 90% of the world's macadamia nuts. One of the first things a traveler to Hawaii notices on their arrival at the airport or first visit to any convenience store is the huge displays of macadamia nut products, such as gift packs of dry roasted nuts, chocolate covered nuts and macadamia nut treats.The macadamia nut tree originated in Australia. The macadamia was classified and named jointly by Baron Sir Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller, Director for the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne and Walter Hill, first superintendent of the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane. The tree was named in honor of Mueller's friend, Dr. John Macadam, a noted lecturer in practical and theoretical chemistry at the University of Melbourne, and a member of Parliament.The tree was first planted in Hawaii near in Kapulena on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1882. William H. Purvis, a sugar plantation manager on the Big Island, visited Australia and was impressed by the beauty of the tree. He brought the seeds back to Hawaii where he planted them at Kapulena. For the next 40 years, the trees were raised primarily as ornamental trees and not for their fruit.In 1921 a Massachusetts man named Ernest Shelton Van Tassell established the first macadamia plantation near Honolulu. This early attempt, however, met with failure, since seedlings from the same tree would often produce nuts of differing yield and quality. The University of Hawaii entered the picture and embarked upon over 20 years of research to improve the tree's crop.It wasn't until the 1950s, when larger corporations entered the picture, that production of macadamia nuts for gemercial sale became substantial. The first major investor was Castle