"They're [the seed of] a pine tree. Throw them on the ground and they grow," says Marlborough pine nut producer Lee Paterson.
And grow they have, to the extent that Pinoli Pine Nuts, the company he manages, took out the top award at this year's Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.
Photo: Public domain
Lee Paterson, general manager and co-founder of Marlborough's Pinoli Pine Nuts Photo: Supplied
Pinoli is the only commercial pine nut producer in the southern hemisphere, and, according to Paterson, "the only pine nut producer south of Lebanon", so winning the food award was a true delight.
He planted the first pine trees in Wairau Valley back in 1998 - with the first harvest a decade later.
"Andy Wiltshire, he's the brains behind the enterprise. He enjoys a bit of fine food and he was a forester. It was him who put two and two together that we can grow world-class pine nuts in New Zealand. It's just a matter of having the guts to do it.
"Twenty six years ago, he hit me up and asked me if I could plant them for him. And we've been a bit of a partnership ever since."
There are about 550,000 European stone pine trees planted on 540 hectares in Marlborough.
One of Pinoli Premium Pine Nuts' stone pine plantations. These trees are 18 years old. Photo: Supplied
Asked about growing and harvesting pine nuts, Paterson says they are easy to grow, "they're a pine tree. Throw them on the ground and they grow".
Even harvesting is an easy enough task, but it is the processing that is tricky.
"I've learnt that to my peril. That's why no one else does it," he laughs.
The hard little seed is designed to be protected in the desert environment so it's "hell of a hard to open and keep the kernels intact".
"We have the factory with 78 different steps in the process."
Pine nuts are mainly harvested by shaking the tree, however with younger trees the cones are hit off with a pole.
These Wairau Valley trees are 26 years old and produce between 100 and 200 cones a tree.
Photo: RNZ/Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
At Pinoli Premium, production is set to ramp up, going double in 2025, and then up by about 400 percent between 2025 and 2030.
So far, the company has survived on sales within New Zealand but is now starting to export nuts.
"We're now expanding into Australia. And we've also just this last month had our first shipment to Italy, which is a bit of a coals-to-Newcastle thing that I personally am really excited about. And so is everyone else in the company.
"Our mission statement is to grow the best pine nuts in the world. And the Italians [are] the fussiest customers in the world, and they can't get enough of them. So yeah, we'll take that as a bit of a compliment."
When production picks up, Pinoli will need to find further markets offshore, Paterson says. Hopefully, Italy will continue and they were already sending a bit into Spain.
"That's all looking good."
Pine nuts are slow to mature - and harvest. Photo: Andy Wiltshire
Other winners from the NZ Food Producers Awards include Manawatū's Moreish Organic Butchery for its scotch fillet and beef patties.
Head judge Lauraine Jacobs says it is satisfying to witness the high level of praise for locally produced meat.
"It was almost an impossible task for the team to separate so many outstanding meats to name the champion of this category. The strength of this field is an affirmation of the fine work our Kiwi farmers are doing."
For other award winners go to the Outstanding Food Producer website.
