Wedderburn pistachios make perfect product for Bendigo Brittle
Published on 14 September 2021
A collaboration between a brittle company in Bendigo and a local pistachio-growing farm in the Loddon Shire has resulted in a perfect pistachio brittle product.
The coming together of Bendigo Brittle and Wedderburn’s Hi-Fye Pistachios also highlights the remarkable array of local produce and products across the Bendigo and Loddon Valley regions.
Bendigo Brittle was founded by Greta Donaldson, who, after 20 years working as a Public Relations executive in Melbourne’s corporate world, looked for a change in pace. This change led to Greta returning to Bendigo in 2015 to be closer to her family.
The idea for Bendigo Brittle further transpired after Greta whipped up a batch of peanut brittle for a family Christmas gathering, using a recipe from her late grandmother Norma Roulston. Greta then further tinkered with the recipe to create a fine, sweet and salty brittle.
As the popularity of the brittle grew among Greta’s family and friends, she began to consider options to sell the brittle – and Bendigo Brittle was established.
The product now has a strong following as Greta and a small team of employees offer these sweet treats from the business’s uber-cool confectionery cart at creative, artisan and farmers’ markets around Bendigo and across Victoria.
To meet growing demand, Greta relocated Bendigo Brittle to a custom-designed commercial kitchen. Production of the brittle remains a family enterprise with Greta cooking and packaging the brittle alongside her mother Shirley and niece Mikala McNeill.
It is not only Greta’s relationship with her grandmother’s brittle recipe that makes Bendigo Brittle so special. It is also Greta’s determination to create high-quality produce using the best local ingredients, while supporting local as much as possible to create her thin, crisp, crunchy range of brittle.
Following the great success of the Bendigo Brittle, Greta set her sights on other nutty brittle creations using nuts such as cashew, almond and macadamia.
However, she always wanted to create a pistachio brittle and started to seek out a local pistachio grower.
It was through Council’s Tourism and Marketing Officer (and Loddon Shire local) Robyn Vella, that Greta discovered pistachio nut growers in Wedderburn.
Greta also has a special connection with the area with her father living in Wedderburn. Additionally, Greta’s father's family are from Nine Mile, just outside of Wedderburn, while Greta’s niece Mikala McNeill is also originally from Wedderburn.
“I was astonished and amazed at the coincidence and to discover Australian-grown pistachios only 45 minutes from Bendigo,” Greta said.
“I quickly got in contact with farmer Fye Wan of Hi-Fye Pistachios, where I discovered not only some of the best-tasting pistachios – Wedderburn Gold Quality Pistachios, but through partnering with Fye, gained a wealth of knowledge on pistachio farming.
“This includes the climate involved, the different varieties of pistachio trees – Fye grows around 28 different varieties – and the process of harvesting this delicious nut.”
The pistachios are air roasted and seasoned with Pyramid Hill Salt before being turned into the famous, thin, crisp and crunchy brittle.
According to Greta, “our pistachio brittle is on-par with our macadamia brittle – with regards to quality, taste and price – and even better than that, the pistachio nuts are grown in the Loddon Shire, 45 minutes from Bendigo, as local as the crow flies!”
The ideal letter box surprise, Bendigo Brittle pistachio brittle is the perfect gift for lockdown survival packs; birthdays; “thinking of you”; and “don’t-die-wondering” packs.
Available online at Bendigo Brittle, also available at The Loddon Shed online.