The embarrassing inflight outburst of a Korean Air Lines executive over the protocol for serving macadamia nuts has resulted in an unexpected windfall for Hawaii: a boom in macadamia sales.

Not only are South Korean retailers experiencing a surge in sales of macadamias, but at least one Hawaii macadamia nut company also has responded to inquiries in just the past week from three South Korean firms interested in carrying their product.

"Certainly, anything that helps promote Hawaiian macadamias is a real plus," said Richard Schnitzler, president of Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co.

According to an Associated Press story, many South Koreans were unfamiliar with the macadamia nut until Cho Hyun-ah, the daughter of Korean Air’s chairman, ordered a flight attendant off a Dec. 5 flight from New York City after she was served the nuts in a bag, instead of on a plate.

Both she and her father, Cho Yang-ho, publicly apologized for the incident, and she resigned from executive roles, including head of cabin service, in the wake of a great uproar over the tantrum that forced the flight to return to the gate. But macadamias are now top of mind in South Korea, prompting the sales boom.

Schnitzler has been following the story, dubbed "Nut Rage," with particular interest.

"If anything should be served on a silver tray, it should be macadamia nuts," he said, laughing. "It’s a high-quality nut. It’s understandable how that can happen."

Schnitzler said it would be difficult to track a recent surge in macadamia sales, because sales are always up this time of year because they are a popular Christmas gift. But the recent inquires could very well lead to a nice sales bump, he said.

"We’ve done well in Asia and Japan. We’ve been there a long time. Now there’s growing interest in China and Korea," he said.

Almost all of Hawaii’s macadamia nuts come from Hawaii island. Hawaii was the site of the world’s first commercial macadamia nut farm, established in the late 1800s.

Today Hawaii has more than 700 macadamia nut farms and eight processing plants. The industry employs some 3,000 workers statewide. Annual sales exceed $38 million, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Macadamia nuts are also grown in Australia, Central America and South Africa, but Hawaii industry leaders insist the ones grown in the islands have a creamier texture and a better taste.

John Cross, president of the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association, said he’s been following the Nut Rage story as well.

"Any type of publicity is good for the industry," said Cross, land manager for the Ed Olson Trust, which owns Ka‘u Farms Management, producer of 1.5 million macadamia nuts annually. "Macadamia nuts are not well known outside of Hawaii and the West Coast. If they were as well known in the Central and Eastern U.S., there wouldn’t be enough nuts to supply demand."

Cross said the industry has seen a rise in sales in recent years as the economy has improved and the macadamia has been embraced for its health benefits. The gluten-free macadamia has a nutrient profile that includes antioxidants, dietary fiber, calcium, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

Phyllis Stine, owner of a small Hilo farm that produces Phyllis’ Macadamia Nut Butters, available throughout Hawaii, said she hasn’t received any phone calls from South Korea. Then again, "I’m as busy as I can be for now," she said.

In South Korea, Auction, a unit of eBay and South Korea’s second-largest e-commerce website, said Monday that sales of macadamias surged nearly twelvefold during the previous five days without any promotions. It said macadamias previously made up 5 percent of its nut sales but were now accounting for almost half.

South Korea’s largest online shopping retailer, Gmarket, also owned by eBay, said macadamia nut sales jumped 20 times during the six days up to Sunday compared with the previous week.

The website of e-commerce firm Coupang showed Mauna Loa macadamia nuts had sold out, with about 100 users asking in the comments section for the product to be quickly restocked.

One Coupang user asked whether Mauna Loa macadamia nuts are the same brand that delayed the Korean Air flight. Another person who identified himself as a seller replied that they probably are because orders have shot up.

One user parodied Cho’s behavior on the plane, leaving a comment that asked the seller to ship the macadamia nuts on a plate, or get out.

Cho’s behavior spurred headlines around the world and spawned various parodies on the Internet.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.