Walnuts Australia

Colin Bruss ‐ Orchard Manager Tabbita

It's a long way from Zimbabwe to Australia, but that's the journey Colin Bruss's career in agriculture has taken him on. He studied farming at an agricultural school in Zimbabwe but says "learning from fellow growers and learning from his own mistakes", taught him some the most important lessons in farming.

"I love growing from seed to harvest and all the challenges in between," says Colin, and today he puts his passion to work with Walnuts Australia. The company planted their first trees in 1995 and harvested their first commercial yield in 1999, since then they've become the Southern Hemisphere's largest walnut orchard.

"I knew Walnuts Australia was a successful business from the moment I arrived, and I've seen the company expand ever since." ‐ Colin Bruss

Walnuts Australia looks after the entire process of production from establishing and maintaining orchards, to harvesting, processing, packaging and sales. The company now owns and manages 2,200 hectares of orchards in Tasmania and New South Wales, of which Colin manages 910 hectares in the Riverina, NSW.

Walnuts Australia supply thousands of tonnes of kernel and in‐shell walnuts every year, which is not without its difficulties says Colin, "The biggest challenge any farmer faces is Mother Nature, we can't control what the weather throws at us". This is when Colin's dedication to farming is most vital, "Whenever there are bad seasons in succession sometimes it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, however my passion for growing crops encourages me to keep on going."

After they've been planted, walnut trees take up to five years to produce a commercial nut yield. There are eight different varieties of walnut grown over the 3 properties, which are irrigated mainly under drip irrigation.

At 8 years of age the tree reach maturity and they're thought to be at the peak growing age. "Once we've harvested the nuts, they're hulled, dried and either shipped in their shells, or sent to the cracking line for production of kernel," says Colin. They're slow to grow, but once the walnuts are harvested they can be on shelves within weeks. New season Australian Walnuts are harvested in March and available all year.

There is a lot of healthy stuff packed into a walnut. Walnuts contain omega‐3 fats, in the form of alpha‐linolenic acid (ALA) ‐ and provide a source of folate which helps support your immune system and magnesium for normal nerve and muscle function, as well as help with tiredness and fatigue. Enjoy a handful of walnuts (30g) regularly as part of a healthy diet. A 30g serve of walnuts is equivalent to about 10 whole nuts or 20 halves.