The Marquis Group has announced it will invest A$35m in the world’s biggest macadamia producing regions to provide its global customers access with increased volumes of premium, consistent quality products, while also strengthening its security of supply.
The Australian – South African group has been operating since 1983 under various names and was rebranded under the Marquis Groupinearly 2020 to consolidate its position as a leadinf grower, processor and marketer of macadamias.
Since the rebrand, the Marquis Group has announced it will be investing more than A$35m (US$26.1m) into new production capacity and pasteurisation technology across its global operations.
The investments include A$30m (US$22.4m) to build new cold storage, and specialised bulk drying and packing facilities at its Bundaberg processing facility in Queensland, Australia, and more than A$1.5m (US$1.1m) to install a Napasol pasteurisation unit at its Lows Creek, South Africa facility.
The Marquis Group is one of only two macadamia processing companies globally using Napasol technology to deliver a certified Log5 pasteurised product, to ensure the safety and quality of its nut products.
Today, the 100 per cent grower-owned Marquis Group includes processing companies Marquis Macadamias (Australia) and Marquis Macadamias (Africa), along with macadamia marketing company Marquis Marketing. The combined Australian and South African operations process 32,000 tonnes per annum and sell more than 20 per cent of the world macadamia kernel, from more than 485 growers.
Chief executive of the Marquis Group, Larry McHugh, said continued investment in technology was vital with thousands of hectares of macadamia nuts planted set to double macadamia supply within the next four to five years.
“In 2020 alone we saw 5,400ha planted in South Africa, and [a further] 3,000ha planted in Australia,” he said.
“We expect global macadamia supply to increase from roughly 220,000 tonnes to 440,000 tonnes annually by 2025-2026.
“The investments we’re making now in our Australian and South African facilities will see the Marquis Group able to process a combined 96,000 tonnes annually in the coming years. We expect to raise our annual revenue from approaching A$300m in 2020 to A$500m by 2024,” added McHugh.
Marquis Marketing has doubled its sales and marketing capacity to drive demand for macadamia products globally, according to McHugh.
“It is crucial these volumes are managed well and marketed ahead of the trend. It’s about providing consistency in quality and reliability of supply for customers and a sustainable business for our growers.
“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been successful in stimulating global demand in 2021 with Year-To-Date (YTD) sales already 21 per cent higher than 2020.
“In some emerging markets, like Korea, we have doubled sales volumes and mature markets, such as the US, Europe and Japan, have returned to strong growth,” he added.
