About us

The odyssey begins in 2014

Exelnut’s journey began in 2014 when Brigitte Leblanc, MD and Yucel Karaman, MD, distinguished graduates from the Catholic
University of Louvain in Belgium, embarked on a bold family project: to grow walnuts, a superfood essential for good health, with respect for tradition and nature.

Raised with fond memories of the crunchy, flavorful walnuts of their childhood — her, in her grandmother’s lush garden, and him, enjoying walnuts at breakfast in his native village in Turkey — they aimed to recapture that lost authenticity, now elusive in supermarket aisles.

After thorough feasibility studies and extensive agronomy training in the United States, the couple set out to merge excellence, medical and scientific knowledge to produce walnuts of unparalleled quality, through a perfect harmony of traditional methods and agricultural innovations.

A commitment rewarded

Their perseverance has borne fruit: Exelnut now produces healthy walnuts with a natural and authentic taste, meeting the EU’s quality standards, which are some of the most stringent in the world.
For Drs. Leblanc and Karaman, combining their medical skills as physicians with their passion for agriculture has highlighted the health benefits of walnuts: regular consumption can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, extend life expectancy, and improve cognitive functions.

In the heart of Portugal, an exceptional terroir

Their search led them to Portugal, to the Aravil valley — a haven of 240 hectares of deep, loamy soil – ideal for cultivating robust walnut trees in an unspoiled environment.

Under the passionate leadership of Brigitte Leblanc, MD, Exelnut has been committed to ethical and sustainable farming from the start: soil improvement, adopting agroecology, using organic products instead of pesticides, and preserving biodiversity and worker health.

Exelnut: a healthy pleasure, a promise of well-being

Discovering the joy of a delicious product that is also beneficial for health is a privilege that Exelnut is committed to sharing with you. Join us on this culinary adventure and rediscover the true taste of walnuts.

We have a dedicated team

Our goal of producing the best walnuts in taste and quality in Portugal wouldn’t be possible without our amazing team in which every member is driven by the same values: excellence, sense of responsibility, curiosity.