As the orchards matured, so did the need for stronger systems.

Andrew Emmott, the son of David and Sue, grew up in Malawi surrounded by those early trees. Alongside Ken Mkengala, manager of Highlands Macadamia Cooperative Union (HIMACUL) , his work focused on strengthening the cooperative and supply chain structures that would allow smallholder farmers to trade collectively and securely.

Andrew played a role in shaping Fairtrade standards for macadamia and worked through international trade organisations, including Liberation and Twin Trading, to help connect growers with long term export markets.

In 2004, David and Andrew established the Neno Macadamia Trust (NMT), which was created to support farmers and their communities beyond the sale of nuts alone, investing in agroforestry, climate resilience and long term development.

As smallholder co-operatives formed and strengthened, they eventually came together under the HIMACUL union. What began as individual orchards became an organised, farmer led network.

The principle remained consistent: trade should be fair, structured and built to last.

Today, Nutcellars sources macadamias from co-operatives within the HIMACUL union in Malawi.

Farmers like Rose Kapadzale, a primary co-operative chair,  manage one to five hectares of land, intercropping macadamia with maize, beans and soya. During the ‘njala’, the hunger season between harvests, macadamia nuts are often more than an export crop. They are cracked and roasted, ground into flour and added to everyday meals. Macadamia offers income, but also resilience.

Around a third of HIMACUL’s producers are women, a surprisingly high proportion given that macadamia is still a relatively new crop for the smallholder sector. Women play a central role in both farming and household life, shaping decisions that affect families and harvests alike.

Mwai Moses is part of the leadership within HIMACUL. As an administrator, she represents the organisational strength that underpins the co-operative’s work, ensuring it operates with structure, accountability and long term focus. The orchards may be visible, but it is this governance that allows the system to endure and grow.

Together, farmers, leaders and co-operatives form a partnership built on trust and shared responsibility.

Our relationship with HIMACUL is long standing and Fairtrade certified with a value chain that connects co-op members who are Malawian farmers and UK customers through a co-operation among co-operators initiative established by Debbie Robinson, CEO Central Co-op to showcase the best of Malawi.

Nick and Tim, Andrew’s sons, grew up in the UK but with Malawi a constant in their family life. They were not farmers themselves, but they were never far from the conversations, relationships and long standing partnerships that shaped the crop.

Nutcellars was established as their way of continuing that involvement in a form that feels relevant today. It exists to maintain and strengthen the export linkages built over decades, ensuring that smallholder farmers remain connected to stable, long term markets.

At its heart, the idea is simple: to celebrate macadamia properly. Not as a niche ingredient or occasional luxury, but as something genuinely enjoyable and part of everyday life. Food that feels indulgent but makes sense. Health as reassurance, not aspiration.

From the Highlands of Malawi to macadamia-lovers across the UK, the story continues.

Scale matters. The more Nutcellars grows, the more effective the model becomes, opening routes to market for more farmers, more co-operatives and more trees in the ground.

As the business develops, the commitment remains steady: to work in partnership with farming coops in Malawi, to support the work of NMT, and to ensure that value continues to flow back through the structures built together.

The ambition is not only commercial. It is environmental too. A future where Nutcellars’ products are fully carbon neutral, achieved by properly valuing the ecosystem services already provided through tree based farming systems. Growth that strengthens land, livelihoods and long term resilience.