Our Walnut Farm

Omega Walnuts are a family-run team of Western Australian walnut farmers.

Our walnut farm consists of two orchards; one in Manjimup and one in Nannup, Western Australia. Between the two orchards there are some 64 HA planted with a number of walnut varieties, including Chandler Howard and Tullare, with the major orchard of 60HA and the processing centre being at Manjimup.

Some facts about our walnut tree farm:

  • We are the only large-scale walnut grower in Western Australia and one of Australia’s five largest walnut farms;
  • Our processing centre is one of Australia’s five largest;
  • We are Australia’s largest certified organic grower of walnuts.

Just like most products, not all walnuts are of the same quality. At Omega, the emphasis is on quality  – not only in the orchards, but also in our processing centre.

Regular leaf and soil tests are conducted throughout the year to ensure  that the correct inputs are provided to give our trees the nutrients they need for optimum health.

Working closely with our trusted suppliers and consultants, we constantly apply the best products for trace elements and organic matter. This ensures that our soils and trees, through fertigation and spraying, are at their best.

Both our western organic orchard at Manjimup, and our fully-certified organic orchard at Nannup, use only certified organic products, while our sheep provide constant weed and grass control, together with natural fertiliser. The eastern conventional orchard at Manjimup is also farmed in a sustainable manner.

Quality is also the keynote of our processing centre, where our fresh walnuts from the tree are cleaned, dried, sized, cracked and packed under processes specifically designed to produce the best consumable walnut.

Our processing line includes equipment and machinery from China, France, Japan and the United States, as well as some unique Australian adaptations.

Our processing centre was opened by the Honourable Mark McGowan in late 2017 and has evolved considerably since. This year we completed the move of the cracking processing room into a larger facility adjacent to the dryers and sizer. We also added an additional aspirator and larger examination table . As written in our news article there is a constant stream of upgrades to methods in both the farming and the processing.

Nannup – Where it all began

The orchard in Nannup is not only where Omega grows its organically certified produce, it is also where we began. Almost 15 years ago the Nannup orchard was only 2 hectares with little more than a simple home converted from a barn. Quietly surveying the property from on top of the hill, it served as an ideal country retreat/hobby farm for the Williams family.

After extensively researching exactly what to grow on our little property we stumbled across walnuts and the studies that were being conducted on the various health benefits associated with them. After realising the enormous potential of walnuts we set off and planted out first trees in 2002. With that began our first walnut orchard. Over the years we expanded our land, knowledge and plantings, slowly evolving the property into the beautiful green hilled orchard it is today.

Nannup is now 5 hectares of established and developing walnut trees and is a fully certified producer of organic walnuts It is also still our much loved country home.

Southern Forest Food Council and Omega Walnuts

Manjimup is the true home of Omega and where the Omega Premium walnuts are grown. With more than 20,000 trees over 55 hectares, it is the largest producer of walnuts in Western Australia. It is also where we process, package and conduct research and development.

Our packaging and processing facility is a combination of our own in-house designed and developed drying system and internationally sourced complimentary equipment. All this is designed to preserve and protect the quality of our produce as well as possible. It is also a fully certified organic processing facility.

Over a fifth of the Manjimup property is dedicated to researching and developing new methods of growing and managing a walnut orchard. Omega’s research & development, regular soil and leaf tests, nut quality checks and use of expert consultants, are a testament to our desire to continually improve and maintain the highest quality produce possible, and will continue to be a part of Omega throughout the life of the farm.

Southern Forest Food Council and Omega Walnuts

Omega is proud to be part of the Southern Forests Food Council (SFFC) an organisation whose passion for quality produce aligned with our own.

The Southern Forests Food Council was founded in 2010 by a group of passionate local producers who recognised that the wealth and abundance of produce grown in the region made it perfect for food tourism. Its role was formalised in 2012 after receiving a $5 million investment under the State Government’s Super Towns initiative. The investment is part of a $7 million Royalties for Regions allocation to the Shire of Manjimup for its Agricultural Expansion Project.

Nine local producers who between them, have hundreds of years’ experience in the industry, currently sit on the Council’s Committee of Management.

The Food Council is committed to unifying the area’s world-class and diverse producers to strengthen the region’s economy, attract investment and export opportunities, promote regional pride, and create sustainable jobs. It represents local producers, culinary and agri-tourism operators who live and work in what is WA’s premier food bowl, aiming to ultimately establish the Southern Forests region as an internationally-recognised top culinary tourism destination.