Plant-based protein is a fast-growing trend in Australia and around the world as consumers are looking to improve their diets and fitness levels with natural products. Nut protein powder is gaining popularity as it is 100% natural and also tastes good in shakes and smoothies. This is good news for Australian tree nut growers, as it means they can use 100% of their crop with virtually no waste.
Plenty Foods has been in business for 40 years, producing cold-pressed oils from nuts as well as avocados, olives, pumpkin seeds, and much more. The company has been working for the last seven years to produce nut protein powder and has now perfected it. The first batch will be on the market in a couple of weeks.
This week, Australia's first high-protein nut powder processing facility has officially opened in Kingaroy, Queensland, marking a significant milestone for Australian food manufacturing, value-added agriculture, and domestic supply chain resilience.
© Plenty foods
The facility, operated by Plenty Foods, was officially opened on 26 February 2026 by the State Member for Nanango, the Hon Deb Frecklington MP, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity, alongside growers, customers, Government and industry stakeholders.
"Australia is one of the main players in the global tree nut sector, and growers have a high demand for the top-grade nuts; also, the bottom 5% grade has a good market in the nut oil sector," explains Josh Gadischke, Managing Director at Plenty Foods. "Growers have told us that they struggle to sell the bottom 20% grade. This is what we can take to make the nut protein powder, giving the growers pretty much zero waste.
"The process involves removing the fat or oil from the nut, which we can already use for oil. When the fat is removed, it increases the protein level of the nut, which we make into powder with a very fine particle size, so it is soluble in beverages. This is a very sustainable use of the nut by-products."
© Plenty Foods
The nuts used at the moment are macadamias, almonds, and peanuts, but there are plans to use other nuts too.
"The supply and demand in the Australian nut industry is quite balanced at the moment, and this gives an opportunity to grow the sector as there is a growing trend for plant-based protein," said Ben Horwood, Sales Manager at Plenty Foods. "The big advantage of nut protein is that it tastes good, whereas other proteins, such as whey, don't."
"This is creating excitement among Australian nut growers. There is the possibility to utilise that bottom 20% grade as well as replace imports on the Australian market. The Australian market is run by US imports at the moment, but this is volatile due to the threat of trade wars and tariffs. We can produce it at a higher grade and more cheaply here. We have also had a lot of interest from international markets for the product, much of this is from India."
For more information:
Ben Horwood
Plenty Foods
Tel: +61 448 781 870
Email: [email protected]
www.plentyfoods.com.au
