More than 100 people wrapped up warmly for the first Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards Field Day to Business Innovation award winner Pinoli Premium Pine Nuts in the Wairau Valley.
We were highly impressed with the inspirational vision of this company.
Director Andy Whiltshire recalls his first encounter with the European stone pine, Pinus pinea. He describes it as a round, funny looking but attractive pine tree. He says there is something magical about how many great big seeds are in a pinecone. The image of great food coming from a pinecone stuck with Andy, he recounted.
The European stone pine was a superbly adaptive tree to Marlborough’s dry conditions, Andy told us. The tree survives on poor soils, is wind resistant, requires no irrigation and handles low rainfall. A 80mm thick bark provides the first defence against fire. The judges said it was an excellent example of the environmental benefits of matching land use to land capability.
Andy sums the stone pine up as a wonderful tree that keeps producing for 100 years, providing superior carbon sequestration.
Growing pine nuts takes patience. The company started in 1995 with research and 12 years later had its first crop. The wait paid off. Customers regularly told the team that the product was better than the imported nuts. “That got us thinking maybe we should get very serious and build this factory,” Andy says. The waste product is being use as biofuel, reducing carbon emissions from coal.
The full judges report is available here.
The next Field Day heads to the Marlborough Restauration Trust. It’s the Supreme winner, jointly sponsored by Plant & Food Research and the Marlborough Research Centre.