Pistachios are the breakout star in the culinary world, and are now gracing products from ice cream to chocolate and baked goods. We spoke with Riverina Nut Company to find out just what goes into the pistachio production process.

Can you share with us the story of how Riverina Nut Company came to be?

My family have grown walnuts for generations back in Italy, and when I moved to Australia 10 years ago I worked in management of corporate walnut and almond farms. Pistachios always interested me, but they weren’t commonly grown in the Riverina, so I decided to start planting them!

The company was founded in 2020 by four Riverina-based families. Can you take us back to the early days? What sparked the idea and what was the process of establishing the company?

When we started back in 2020, it was only ever planned to be on a small scale, where we used my experience in commercial nurseries to grow enough trees that we could start planting ourselves.  The trees grew incredibly well, and the nursery has had to dramatically increase in size to keep up with other growers wanting to plant them also. Riverina Nut Company is now one of the largest pistachio nurseries in Australia.

Checking the trees

Why did you choose to grow pistachios?

If I’m honest, personally pistachios have always been one of my favourite nuts to eat. I love their versatility in recipes, as well as their sweet and fruity taste. Aside from this, growing pistachios has always been attractive as they have a higher long-term profitability but with less growing risks than the other nut crops I’d been working in.

What does an average day at Riverina Nut Company farms look like?

The nursery is really busy especially at this time of the year, when we are germinating seeds, and planting them in pots. I always go there first thing every morning, as we have heaps of team members working there on these tasks seven days per week.

After we check on the nursery, I go to the farm. We are really conscious about our effect on the environment and the long-term sustainability of our farm. Because pistachios are produced in a very low input manner, including the fact that locally we don’t have difficult pests and diseases to manage, Riverina Nut Company is able to grow commercial quantities with a very low carbon footprint.

Can you tell us about the growing season and harvest process?

The growing season doesn’t start until late October for pistachios in the Riverina, when they start to shoot buds and leaves. This late start means they are very frost tolerant compared to other tree crops grown in the region.

Harvesting occurs late February to early March, and is all done by machines, which shake the nuts from the trees and catch them before they hit the ground. From here they get hulled and dried, so they can be delivered to customers. Traditionally pistachios were sold as either whole nuts, kernels, paste, and meal, however, options now range from roasted and salted for snacking, and raw and unroasted for cooking. Bakers especially love the newer specialty products like pistachio-flavoured extracts, diced kernels, and pistachio spreads which have become very common.

Working on the farm

Has demand changed in recent months due to viral products like Dubai Chocolate?

Demand for pistachios has grown quite quickly in recent years, with Australia still not growing enough pistachios to meet domestic demand, and importing them from overseas. Definitely the new pistachio products, like Dubai Chocolate has taken this to another level, and there is a huge trend worldwide to find new and novel ways to incorporate pistachios into delicacies.

What is something bakers should keep in mind when it comes to using pistachios in their products?

Often when baking with pistachios, the bright green colour is really important, so it’s good to avoid roasting the nuts as this often fades their colour. Many bakers choose to add finely chopped pistachios after their products are baked and cooled to avoid this.