Milkadamia is created for consumers who want to support a sustainable approach to farming and a naturally grown product born just outside of Byron Bay.
When it comes to designing the perfect dairy-alternative product for Australia’s discerning tastebuds, there’s two boxes that customers appreciate: Australian owned and Australian grown.
With those elements covered, Milkadamia Owner Morgan Roy says its time to introduce Australians to the product that saw him once approached for TV show Shark Tank USA.
“Many people don’t realise the macadamia tree is a native Australian rainforest tree. All the other nut milks out there are made from imported nut species.” Morgan says. “Milkadamia was the first to commercially make a barista formula macadamia milk.”
Jindilli, the family farm in Lennox Head, has been producing macadamia nuts for the past 10 years. Morgan’s brother Mason runs the farm, and Morgan heads the growing plant-based business in Australia, which sources its nuts direct from the family backyard.
To help get the business off the ground, Milkadamia first launched in the US, which, five years ago according to Morgan was more developed in terms of its dairy-alternative market. Now, it’s time for Australians to become familiar with the name and its offerings.
“Some people assume we’re an American company, but we’ve always been an Australian owned company in fact and at heart,” Morgan shares. “We started in the US just because it’s a larger market and we want to support Australian farmers though exports.”
The product has grown a loyal following overseas and gained industry awards, but Morgan is excited for Australia’s coffee community to embrace this natural product that is designed to complement, not dominate, a cup of coffee.
“Many have not experienced the delicate flavour of raw macadamias. Most are familiar with roasted, salted, chocolate covered, or in an icecream or cookie. But because we use raw macadamia nuts, it allows the mild, creamy flavour to highlight the taste of coffee,” Morgan explains. “Milkadamia is also suitable for first time non-dairy users because the taste hurdle is closer to dairy than other nut or grain milks.”
Milkadamia grows the nuts they use. Other macadamia milks source from a third party, sometimes even from the Jindilli farm, but Morgan says they save the best for themselves. Milkadamia controls the whole process from the farm to the pack, to keep the ingredients as pure as possible. They don’t use any unnecessary ingredients such as maltodextrin or added canola oil. Their milks are also free of dairy, soy, genetically modified organisms, gluten, and lactose.
Milkadamia is the only macadamia milk that produces a range of flavours, including Original, Unsweetened, Latte Da Barista – preferred by coffee professionals – and next on the list for 2019 – Unsweetened Vanilla.
The family farm grows free-range trees, which Milkadamia CEO Jim Richards describes as “trees not tethered to an irrigation system”.
“Our macadamia trees are grown near the Australian rainforest where macadamia trees came to be, so they grow naturally, watered by rainfall alone,” Jim says. “The agricultural systems that pump massive quantities of subterranean water reserves to sustain drought-intolerant trees planted in unsuitably dry regions are less sustainable, and less earth friendly.”
Jindilli uses regenerative farming practices, which the company believes is the most effective and actionable response to carbon excess hothousing ourselves to extinction. These methods have the potential to shift agriculture from being a major contributor of atmospheric carbon dioxide to storing significant amounts of carbon, becoming “our best hope for giving the earth some breathing space”, Jim says.
The farm does not plough, dig, or disturb the soil, allowing microorganisms in the soil to flourish. Like many coffee farmers, there is ground cover on the soil, and the trees are strategically placed adjacent to the rainforest.
“The advantage of plants in their natural provenance is the soil, rainfall, and sunshine attend the trees’ needs,” Jim says. “We choose lower carbon energy input farming and are increasing our dependence on the natural equilibrium of the land as our soils build in vitality and health.”
With an ecosystem of owls, fox terriers, and bees, the Jindilli family farm could be mistaken for a high altitude coffee farm in Brazil, but it’s on the fringe of Australia’s east coast region where nature is at its best.
“The farm is one living interconnected organism from below the soil to the birds that flock to our orchard,” Jim says.
Just as the land takes care of the family’s macadamia supply, Milkadamia is designed to take care of coffee drinkers who wish to enjoy a plant-based milk alternative that’s grown in their very own backyard.
For more information, visit
www.milkadamia.com.au