Mumbai is getting ready for a delicious Australian homecoming as the Australian Macadamia Festival returns from 26 September to 4 October 2026.
The Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) is bringing its fourth annual Australian Macadamia Festival back to Mumbai, the city where the celebration first began in 2023. For nine days, some of Mumbai’s leading restaurants, bakeries, cafés, bars and dessert destinations will put their own creative spin on Australian macadamias.
The festival promises more than just a celebration of a premium ingredient. It offers diners an opportunity to discover how one of Australia’s best-known native crops can move effortlessly across cuisines, from delicate dim sum and seafood to pastries, ice creams, cocktails and even craft beer.
Mumbai Welcomes the Festival Back to Where It All Began
Mumbai holds a special place in the story of the Australian Macadamia Festival. The inaugural edition was launched here in 2023, introducing Indian consumers, chefs and food enthusiasts to the flavour, versatility and provenance of Australian-grown macadamias.
Since then, the festival has expanded its footprint to Delhi and Bengaluru, attracting interest from chefs, food professionals and diners across the country. Its return to Mumbai marks a full-circle moment for the festival, bringing the celebration back to the city that helped launch it.
Mumbai’s constantly evolving food culture makes it a natural setting for the festival. From fine-dining restaurants and Japanese concepts to independent bakeries and contemporary Indian kitchens, the city is known for experimenting with ingredients and giving familiar flavours a fresh interpretation.
Australian Macadamias Take Over Mumbai’s Culinary Scene
During the nine-day festival, participating venues will create specially curated dishes and drinks featuring Australian macadamias.
The line-up includes Hakkasan, TwentySeven BakeHouse, La Panthera, Mag St. Bread Co., SAZ American Brasserie, 66Chium, Yazu, Donmai, Croffle Guys, Torii by Gauri Khan, Ode, Akina Worli, The Verandah at Trident – Nariman Point, Juliette Café & Bar, Bombay Salad Company, Indu Ice Cream and Igloo Craft Beers.
The diverse list of participating venues means visitors can experience Australian macadamias in everything from appetisers and dim sum to baked goods, desserts, ice creams and beverages.
From Dim Sum to Desserts: Macadamias Get a Mumbai Makeover
At Hakkasan, Australian macadamias will feature in dim sum and seafood preparations, while TwentySeven BakeHouse will incorporate them into cookies and pies.
La Panthera will explore the nut through Mediterranean-inspired creations, while Mag St. Bread Co. will showcase its versatility in tarts, cakes and viennoiserie.
At SAZ American Brasserie, diners can expect Australian macadamias across croquettes, main courses and desserts, demonstrating how naturally the ingredient can transition between savoury and sweet preparations.
The festival also ventures into more playful territory. Indu Ice Cream will serve Brown Butter Australian Macadamia with fudgy brownie bits, while Igloo Craft Beers will create a special Australian Macadamia beer.
One of the highlights will be the specially curated Five Expressions of Macadamia Nuts menu at Torii by Gauri Khan. The menu will feature creations including scallop tiradito, vegetable dumplings, a robata grill platter, ginger and lotus seabass, and a macadamia mille-feuille.
Across Mumbai, diners can also discover macadamia-based appetisers, sandwiches, cakes, pies, ice creams and beverages.
A Celebration of Culinary Creativity
The Australian Macadamia Festival is not simply about adding an ingredient to a restaurant menu. At its heart, it is about discovery.
The same ingredient can take on an entirely different character depending on the chef, cuisine and cooking technique. Through the festival, Mumbai’s culinary community gets an opportunity to explore Australian macadamias in its own distinctive way.
For diners, that means the chance to experience a familiar category of food — from pastries to seafood and desserts — through an unexpected Australian influence.
Australian Macadamia Society on the Festival’s Mumbai Return
Ben Baldwin, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Macadamia Society, said Mumbai’s role in the festival’s history makes its return particularly significant.
He highlighted the city’s openness to new ingredients and ideas, along with its appreciation for quality and creativity. According to Baldwin, the festival provides an opportunity to connect Australian macadamias with consumers through the chefs, restaurants and food makers shaping Mumbai’s dining culture.
Laura Davies, Market Development Manager at the Australian Macadamia Society, described the festival as an opportunity to encourage discovery through food. She noted that Mumbai’s mix of established fine-dining restaurants, independent bakeries, cafés and contemporary concepts provides an ideal platform for chefs to interpret the ingredient in their own ways.
Industry Trade Meet to Explore Macadamia Opportunities
The festival will also extend beyond the consumer experience.
On 28 September, the Australian Macadamia Society will host an industry trade meet at The Quorum Mumbai. The event will bring together chefs, R&D experts and purchase heads from leading FMCG companies to explore the commercial potential of Australian macadamias within India’s growing food ecosystem.
The initiative reflects the festival’s wider objective of building awareness around Australian-grown macadamias among consumers and food industry professionals.
The Story Behind Australia’s Native Nut
Macadamias have a history that stretches back more than 60 million years, having evolved in Australia’s subtropical rainforests.
They remain the only native Australian crop to have been traded internationally on a significant scale as a commercial food product.
Today, Australia is one of the world’s major macadamia-producing countries, with approximately 800 growers and more than 15 million macadamia trees spread across 47,659 hectares. The 2026 Australian crop is forecast at 56,888 tonnes in-shell at 3.5% moisture.
Why Australian Macadamias Stand Out
Australian macadamias are known for their rich, buttery flavour and versatility in both sweet and savoury cooking.
They are naturally nutritious, containing predominantly monounsaturated fats and providing a source of fibre. Their creamy texture also makes them suitable for a wide range of applications, including desserts, snacks, savoury dishes, dairy alternatives and beverages.
Macadamia cultivation also contributes to environmental benefits, with macadamia trees helping stabilise soil, support biodiversity and sequester carbon.
A Nine-Day Culinary Celebration in Mumbai
With the Australian Macadamia Festival returning to its original host city, Mumbai is set to become a meeting point for Australian produce and India’s vibrant culinary culture.
From fine dining and artisanal baking to ice cream and craft beer, the fourth edition offers plenty of opportunities for food lovers to discover Australian macadamias in unexpected forms.
The Australian Macadamia Festival will take place across participating Mumbai venues from 26 September to 4 October 2026.
For anyone interested in exploring new flavours, discovering creative restaurant menus or simply experiencing Mumbai’s food scene from a different perspective, the festival offers a delicious reason to explore the city.
About the Australian Macadamia Society
The Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) is the representative body for Australia’s macadamia industry. It works to advance the Australian macadamia industry and promote the quality and distinctive flavour of Australian-grown macadamias internationally.
Its members include growers, handlers, processors and other businesses and professionals across the macadamia supply chain. Through initiatives such as the Australian Macadamia Festival, the organisation aims to introduce Australian macadamias to new markets while encouraging culinary innovation.
Website: https://www.australianmacadamias.in
Instagram: @australianmacadamias_in
