Marquis Macadamias
Bundaberg (Meeanjin), Queensland.
Australian Export Awards a powerful motivator
Winning the 2025 Agribusiness, Food and Beverages award is a fantastic recognition of excellence for our farmer shareholders, staff and customers — and a powerful motivator to continue expanding globally.
Ben Adams, Chief Executive Officer.
A noble native nut goes global with Marquis Macadamias
Macadamias are a true national success story. They are one of the few native Australian foods to be successfully exported globally.
Leading the charge is Marquis Macadamias, winner of the 2025 Agribusiness, Food and Beverages award category at the Australian Export Awards. Operating since 1983, the grower-owned co-op is one of the world’s leading integrated macadamia growers, processors and marketers.
‘With over 40 years of experience, we combine deep industry expertise with end-to-end control of the value chain,’ says Ben Adams, Chief Executive Officer at Marquis Macadamias.
‘We want to create a viable and sustainable Australian macadamia industry that delivers premium prices for our growers and premium products for our customers.’
Growth built on global partnerships
Marquis Macadamias runs 2 advanced processing facilities in Bundaberg and Lismore. Combined, the facilities process around 28,000 tonnes of nut-in-shell every year. That’s about 40% of the Aussie macadamia industry.
Over the past 3 seasons, the co-op has maintained a strong export focus. International sales account for around 74% of revenue.
‘Our growth is built on strong global partnerships, a reputation for quality and a commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability,’ says Adams.
Success through sustainability
As a grower-owned co-op, Marquis Macadamias’ goals are aligned with the success and sustainability of its farmers.
‘With fully integrated operations, we offer end-to-end traceability and quality assurance, underpinned by our British Retail Consortium (BRC)-certified facilities,’ says Adams.
‘We are also increasing investment in sustainable practices, like repurposing macadamia shells as biofuel to reduce waste and support renewable energy initiatives.’
Cracking the Indian market
India is the next global market to crack.
Marquis Macadamias achieved its first shipment of macadamias to the country in 2023. This was supported by the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which reduced tariffs on macadamias from 30% to 17.1%. Tariffs on these nuts are expected to be eliminated by 2028.
‘India has a large and diverse population with a strong cultural history of nut consumption and growing interest in premium health foods,’ says Adams. ‘Market potential is projected at 1,000 tonnes within 5 years.’
We wanted to benchmark ourselves against the best exporters in Queensland and celebrate our team’s achievements on a national stage.
Australian Export Awards a powerful motivator
This is the Agribusiness, Food and Beverages award winner’s first foray into the Australian Export Awards.
‘We wanted to benchmark ourselves against the best exporters in Queensland and celebrate our team’s achievements on a national stage,’ says Adams.
‘It’s a fantastic recognition of excellence for our farmer shareholders, staff and customers — and a powerful motivator to continue expanding globally.’
Good planning is key to success
As a global success story, Adams has one word for emerging exporters: ‘Plan, plan and plan again. Careful preparation and market understanding are the foundations of long-term export success.’
Marquis Macadamias is currently developing a robust, proprietary planning tool that will enhance its ability to balance supply and demand, track inventory, and forecast sales.
‘The goal is to eliminate errors in supply-demand balancing, improve financial forecasts, and streamline production planning, sales strategies, and inventory management,’ Adams explains.
Value-driven growth for growers
Over the next 5 years, Marquis Macadamias is focused on sustainable, value-driven export growth underpinned by strategic planning, infrastructure investment, and tailor-made marketing activities.
A key driver of this growth is the planned multimillion-dollar expansion of its Bundaberg factory. This is expected to nearly double its intake and processing capacity by 2035.
‘The additional production volume will support our entry into new international markets while strengthening our position in existing ones,’ says Adams.
‘Our business model will continue to prioritise grower value, product quality and vertical integration.’
Visit Marquis Macadamias website.
