ORGANIC Brazil nuts

Our natural, unroasted Brazil nuts come from controlled organic cultivation and contain valuable mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as minerals. Their plant-based protein makes them perfect for vegetarians and vegans.

Brazil nut harvesting

The Brazil nut, botanically Bertholletia excelsa, is a tree from the tropical rainforest. It can mainly be found in the Amazon region in South America. Bolivia is the largest exporter of Brazil nuts, but Brazil and Peru also export large amounts to foreign markets.

Brazil nuts ony grow in the wild. So far they could not be cultivated in plantations for two reasons. Firstly, it takes around 20 years until the Brazil nut tree carries a considerable amount of fruits - too long for plantation owners who want to make profit from agricultural goods. Secondly and most importantly, the trees can only be pollinated by one bee species: the tribe of Euglossine bees only occurs in the Amazone rainforest and cannot be kept on plantations. That is why Brazil nut trees can only be found in intact tropical rainforests. Thus, the commercial use of Brazil nuts contributes to the preservation of the rainforest.

It can take up to 14 months for a ripe Brazil nut to mature. The harvesting takes place from January to March. Around 10-16 Brazil nuts grow in one capsule at the same time. The part of the fruit that we call "Brazil nut" are the seeds of the nut fruit. The actual fruit is a capsule of 10-16 cm, similar to a coconut, which is covered by a woody shell. This shell contains up to 30 capsules in a wedge-like shape. After cracking this wedge, you can find the seeds that are around 4 cm long.

The Brazil nut tree

Brazil nut trees are rainforest giants. They may live for 500 years and more and can reach heights of up to 50 metres. The trunk can have diameters of around 5 metres. The branches of their crowns often go above the canopy of their neighbouring trees. The leaves of the Brazil nut tree are up to 60 cm long. The large yellow flowers are very deep so that only Euglossine bees can pollinate them due to their long tongues. These bees only exist in the tropical rainforest which is why all tries of cultivating Brazil nut trees elsewhere have failed so far. The heavy nut fruits have a thick, solid shell and mature for around 15 months before they fall from the trees during harvesting time (from December to March).

The trees grow widely scattered in the entire rainforest, so that the harvesters need to go long distances to gather the nuts. This can be quite dangerous as they may be hit by fruits that weigh up to 15 kg. After the nuts are collected, they need to be cracked manually to obtain the seeds.

In many regions of the Amazon, wild harvesting of Brazil nuts is one of the most important sources of income for the local people. So it is in their own interest to protect the rainforest and the Brazil nut trees. Therefore, the commercial use of the Brazil nuts makes a valuable contribution to the preservation of the tropical forests.

Taste and usage

Brazil nuts have a slightly sweet taste which is ideal for desserts, cakes and pastries but they can also be used for salads, fish or vegetables.
They are often used for cosmetics, sweets and oil as well. Their high content of protein make them a plant-based source of protein, e.g. for vegans and vegetarians. Furthermore, Brazil nuts contain numerous vitamins, minerals and naturally, large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids.