The World Macadamia Organisation (WMO) has introduced a new membership category for a wider range of partners in the macadamia industry, making it easier for more industry players to join and have a say in macadamia industry activity.
Jillian Laing, chief executive of the WMO.
"The WMO sits at the intersection of industry and consumers. We work to grow demand for macadamia nuts through increasing awareness and nutritional understanding. We are excited to welcome new members to our organisation and continue our collaborative work for the industry with more voices represented," said Jillian Laing, chief executive of the WMO.
WMO data shows macadamia supply will increase by over 10 per cent per annum for the next five years – this means the industry needs to create new demand equivalent to the current USA market each year for the next five years.
"Our work helps create this much-needed demand and members have an important say in our activities, including selecting the priority markets for us to focus on. Our activity can target consumers, ingredients manufacturers, or other audiences such as nutritionists and chefs. We also deliver core underpinning work for the industry, including coordinating the industry strategy, data collection and insights dissemination, creating product standards, evolving nutritional messaging, and developing industry-wide sustainability positioning," said Laing.
The WMO offers two membership categories:
- Processors/handlers: The primary handlers and processors of macadamia nuts, receiving nuts from farmers for either sale as nut-in-shell or for cracking to kernel.
- Wider value chain: The downstream industry who handle macadamias in some form, including value-adders, marketing companies, traders, brand owners, distributors, retailers and others.
Membership fees apply for both categories, which are used to fund the WMO's activities.
"This year we are focused on growing demand in the US and India – two key markets for absorbing additional supply. Our Love Macadamia platform is central to this and helps show people in these markets that macadamia nuts are full of good fats and offer a range of health benefits, making them the ideal snack and ingredient for evolving consumer needs. In addition, we are undertaking a very targeted initiative on improving nutritional understanding of macadamias in China, in collaboration with the local industry," concludes Laing.
For more information:
Jillian Laing
World Macadamia Organisation
[email protected]
www.worldmacadamia.com
www.lovemacadamia.org