Description

The Clove tree grows to around 10-15 metres in height, with leaves that begin as a pale red in colour, then turning to green as they mature. Originating from the Moluccas Islands, Indonesia, the flowering occurs after 7 years (from August/September through to February), and a further 6 months for the buds to mature. The tree can continue to have a productive life for a further 50-70 years, though it flowers best between 15 – 20 years, and producing 3 – 7kg of cloves per tree, per year. The cloves are handpicked when the lower portion of the clove bud is changing colour from green to red. Allowing 2-4 days to dry, and in-turn change colour, then finally graded into 3 colour and appearance groups.

The word Clove is derived from the Latin word “clavus” or the French word “clou”, meaning nail, the shape of which cloves are said to resemble. Cloves from Indonesia amount to nearly 80% of the world’s total supply.