ABOUT US
Key executives in the development of the second walnut and first almond company in Chile, until 2015-2016 when they decided to form their own company (Smart Nuts) where they applied all of their knowledge of the business aquired throughout the years. Smart Nuts bases its strategy on maintainig flexibility and having very low fixed-costs and hence being able to offer their clients more value and quality, as well as specific products.
Julio Martinez
Founded one of the main walnuts and almonds companies in Chile in 2002 as a personal startup, and with a very small budget where he served as CEO and partner up to June 30th, 2016. Briefly after, the company stood out for the quality of their products and services, turning into one of the leaders in a developing market. He started the company from scratch, developing each one of its areas.
During the year 2008-2009 he led the establishment and consolidation of the Chilean Walnut Commission (Currently merged with ChileNut), consolidating 70% of the country’s export share, as well as being a fundamental entity for the development of Chile’s walnut market.
The quality seal of the products, automation, further market opening, and focus on detail has been part of the vision he had and being the only way to develop a market that grows in giant steps. Designed and implemented processes, teams, storage and logistics, and achieved as a result, the best and internationally competitive production plant in Chile.
At a business level, he built a business relationship with traditional markets with which the company started (Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, Brazil).
He has organized more that 40 technical/commercial seminars and countryside days, to support producers and integrate them to the distribution chain.
Cecilia Fernandez
Technical Consultant in Almonds, with more than 18 years of proven record and being one of the leading voices of the field in Chile.
Her role all of these years, at Smart Nuts since 2017, and before in one of main processing and exporting plants of the country, has been one of technical and purchasing consultant, becoming an essential pillar, providing advice on purchasing, monitoring logistics and processes, supervising quality and stock, and maintaining relationship and part of the business administration with producers, reporting to them on their quality, performance, bank accounts, etc.
She was one of the main shafts during the implementation a project during 2010 along with Julio Martinez and Jorge Crosa on creating one of the largest plants in Chile advising on the overall almond process, a project which started very humbly which managed to achieve and process 5,000 tons of almond hull, more than 35% of Chile’s volume.
This success was due to her consulting experience, professionalism, very personalized assistance and great attention to each and every detail.
Julio Martínez Pérez
Founded one of the main walnuts and almonds companies in Chile in 2002 as a personal startup, and with a very small budget where he served as CEO and partner up to June 30th, 2016. Briefly after, the company stood out for the quality of their products and services, turning into one of the leaders in a developing market. He started the company from scratch, developing each one of its areas.
During the year 2008-2009 he led the establishment and consolidation of the Chilean Walnut Commission (Currently merged with ChileNut), consolidating 70% of the country’s export share, as well as being a fundamental entity for the development of Chile’s walnut market.
The quality seal of the products, automation, further market opening, and focus on detail has been part of the vision he had and being the only way to develop a market that grows in giant steps. Designed and implemented processes, teams, storage and logistics, and achieved as a result, the best and internationally competitive production plant in Chile.
At a business level, he built a business relationship with traditional markets with which the company started (Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, Brazil).
He has organized more that 40 technical/commercial seminars and countryside days, to support producers and integrate them to the distribution chain.
Cecilia Fernandez
Technical Consultant in Almonds, with more than 18 years of proven record and being one of the leading voices of the field in Chile.
Her role all of these years, at Smart Nuts since 2017, and before in one of main processing and exporting plants of the country, has been one of technical and purchasing consultant, becoming an essential pillar, providing advice on purchasing, monitoring logistics and processes, supervising quality and stock, and maintaining relationship and part of the business administration with producers, reporting to them on their quality, performance, bank accounts, etc.
She was one of the main shafts during the implementation a project during 2010 along with Julio Martinez and Jorge Crosa on creating one of the largest plants in Chile advising on the overall almond process, a project which started very humbly which managed to achieve and process 5,000 tons of almond hull, more than 35% of Chile’s volume.
This success was due to her consulting experience, professionalism, very personalized assistance and great attention to each and every detail.
Staying Light and Flexible
- The near future will require more dynamic and competitive companies.
- We can adapt to our client’s more specific needs and develop more personalized products.
100% Business Focus
- Externalizing tasks that do not add value (except the production process, which shall be managed by us), allows us to dedicate more time and energy on creating lucrative business.
- We want to be close to the heart of the business, our clients, and producers.
Business Strength
- 100% of the sales and business and production experience that their executives have developed for the past 16 years is in Smart Nuts.
- Product development: We have the experience and the key contacts to package according to each one of the clients’ needs, being pioneers on this in our Chilean market.
- Some of our past achievements are:
- Being number one in markets such as:
- Switzerland
- Spain
- Japan
- Being the main exporter of Walnuts and Almonds in Chile for nearly 5 consecutive years.
- Being one of the first in having an offer to the ingredients market, of high technical demand standards.
- Being number one in markets such as:
Food Safety
With our accumulated experience, we know which raw materials to buy to achieve the finished quality product that our client needs.
We know and manage processes with a high level of quality standards to achieve food safety for our clients.
We are a new company, but with well-known and market consolidated professionals: When a contract is closed, we respect it independent of the temporary market conditions.
plant
SMART NUTS WALNUT PROCESSES
One-by-one Splitting Process (Special Cracked): During this process the walnuts are split calibrated on a machine which splits them one by one, simulating manual split, then the Extra Light halves are hand-dried, resulting in a very high quality product, packaged in a modified atmosphere in high barrier bags, at a very competitive price, and having a quality very similar to the hand splitting.
Traditional Mechanical Split Process: During this process the walnuts are split inside a cone cracker, at great speed, which allows to quickly satisfy the needs of our clients, also bagged in modified atmosphere, with high barrier bags.
Hand Splitting Process: This is a traditional high quality process where the walnuts are split and selected by people, which produces a perfect product, reaching the highest level of world standards. It is also packaged at a modified atmosphere, in high barrier bags, extending the products’ life.
Shelled Walnut Process: During this process the shells are brushed, calibrated and selected to then be packaged in 10 or 25 Kilogram bags.
