Green Farms Nut Company is a macadamia processing and export company. The company currently has three processing facilities in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal with more in the pipeline, serving over 450 growers across Southern Africa. Green Farms Nut Co. has a healthy sales spread, supplying macadamias to all major continents. Their focus has always been the kernel market and Green Farms Nut Co. continuously increases their capacity to be able to crack their entire intake, while not neglecting the inshell market.
Green Farms Nut Company prioritizes environmental responsibility by minimizing water consumption, employing reed-bed wastewater treatment, and transitioning to solar power. Additionally, the company produces Eco-Briquettes from macadamia shells and uses shells for heating in curing plants and thereby relying less on the burning of fossil fuels. Green Farms Nut Co.’s dedication extends to industry-wide sustainability efforts in which they play a key role in promoting regenerative practices.
Green Farms Nut Co. is in the process of installing solar energy.
Many of the company’s forklifts are electric. There is a standard operating procedure for truck driving with tracking devices and cameras installed to ensure optimal driving.
Green Farms Nut Co. advises their growers to use organic fertiliser, compost and mulching. They believe a healthy soil is pivotal to a healthy crop.
Two of Green Farms Nut Co’s three processing plants have changed from a wet process to a dry process, and the third will be converted in the next year or two. The hand washing basins for staff are step-on taps to save water.
Green Farms Nut Co. has an eco-briquette plant that produces non-carbonised briquettes from macadamia shells. This has a positive impact on the environment because when used it replaces wood or charcoal. Their boilers also make use of macadamia shells, replacing the use of electricity to heat water. Their latest facility, the White River processing plant and their flagship facility, is using a reed bed to filter all the factory’s wastewater before releasing the water back into the environment. All paper, excess cardboard and plastic is recycled through a third party.
Soil health is something that excites Green Farms Nut Co.. Even though the company does not farm themselves, their technical team has been actively promoting sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices through training at study groups, videos, courses and publications to their grower suppliers. They have been and still are promoting a healthy soil, which will decrease the need for synthetic fertilisers by utilising the soil microbiome at a greater potential. According to Green farms Nut Co., growers have been phenomenal in adapting cover crop practices with reductions in herbicide use, which is good for the soil.
Green Farms Nut Co. has been instrumental in the shift towards these sustainable practices in the macadamia industry in Southern Africa. Their focus has been three-fold, namely to promote improved soil health; to control pests in a more biological and environmentally-friendly manner and to manage orchard temperatures through increased plant growth for optimal yields and quality. In a matter of less than five years it has become the norm to allow natural vegetation to grow in rows and inter-rows in orchards, or the planting of cover crops. These form part of IPM, along with the use of biocontrol agents that are released and sprayed to control pests. Green Farms Nut Co. train farmers on bee management and planning of flower crops for bee nutrition in orchards.
Through this digital recognition platform, we celebrate the Carbon Heroes taking part in the Confronting Climate Change (CCC) Initiative for their considerable effort in calculating and understanding their carbon emissions.
Each Carbon Hero has their own digital QR code that can be displayed on their website and other marketing material, linking directly to their individual profile on the Carbon Heroes website.
The QR code provides a simple and innovative way for customers to learn about each Carbon Hero’s carbon offsetting and other sustainability initiatives, as well as engage with them on social media and other marketing channels.
With the Carbon Heroes QR code we aim to support a global transition towards sustainable development by recognising and celebrating the positive environmental impact of each Carbon Hero. By having a transparent display of their commitment to reducing emissions, Carbon Heroes demonstrate their dedication to a sustainable future, while building trust in their brand.
Find out more about the Carbon Heroes and CCC
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