The first macadamia nut tree was planted on our island in 1881 by an Australian tourist (in the days when our vocabulary didn’t include words like invasive species.
In 1921, Ernest van Tassel, planted the first commercial macadamia nut orchard on Oahu, but it didn’t work out so well because the seedlings where not true to type.
In 1946, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, was established and it planted its first orchard in Kea’au.
Today, Mauna Loa’s processing facility, which is located just outside of Hilo continues to process tons of our favorite nut.
For the full story see: http://www.maunaloa.com/about/history.asp