Why California Walnuts
California Walnuts offer a unique flavour and texture, making them wonderfully versatile for both savoury and sweet food product applications. As a result, research chefs and tastemakers around the world increasingly find new and exciting ways to incorporate walnuts. Try adding walnuts to baked goods, dessert bars and chocolate confections for a nutty crunch; to sauces and spreads as a wholesome thickener; or as a plant-based alternative to meat. Discover the diversity of walnuts as the perfect showcase ingredient in the biggest savoury and sweet flavour trends.
Trends
California Walnuts deliver a complex flavour experience. Their taste evolves with each bite, starting with a buttery richness, transitioning into delicate hints of umami, and finishing with a slightly tannic note.
Taste
Walnuts from California have a sweet mild taste that makes savoury sweet, and sweet savoury. Walnuts has been recognized by Kerry Taste Charts as the #1 ingredient for meat alternatives in 2021.
Versatility
The mild flavour and texture of walnuts makes them a versatile ingredient for flavour profiles in a wide range of packaged foods – baked goods, desserts, confections, spreads and sauces, and plant-based meat alternatives.
Size & Colour
Walnuts from California are sold according to size and colour, ranging from light to amber, with lighter walnuts being the most popular for aesthetic reasons.
Nutritional Benefits
California Walnuts are a whole food and provide many beneficial nutrients to the diet. A 30 g serving of walnuts is a source of fibre, iron and zinc. Plus, walnuts are the only nut to contain a source of omega-3 polyunsaturates, with 2.5 g omega-3 per 30 g serving.
Where Are Walnuts Grown?
More than 99% of walnuts in the US are grown in the fertile soils of the California’s Central Valley. The walnuts are grown and processed under the strict USDA/DFA and FDA regulations. Many cutting-edge technologies are harnessed during the process in a sustained effort to deliver walnuts of uncompromising quality.
Sustainability
The California Walnut industry is made up of over 3,700 walnut growers and approximately 70 handlers. Most are multi-generational family farms, with plans to continue passing them on for future generations. California Walnut growers and handlers have spent more than a century caring for the land, sharing a commitment to public health, and supporting the communities we serve. To grow this nutritious food for generations to come, they continue their focus on delivering the best quality walnuts all the way to the consumer while lessening impacts on the earth.
Harvesting, Processing & Grading
It’s a long road from planting a walnut orchard to delivering fresh, delicious walnuts to food professionals. Each step in the process from propagation, to harvest, to packer, and finally to market, is handled with care and attention. After a walnut sapling is planted, it takes four to five years for it to grow into an adult tree suitable for commercial harvesting. Although many varieties of walnuts are grown in California, four varieties account for over 90% of the market and are similar in their taste and functionality.
Food Safety
The walnut industry has had an exceptional track record for food safety for over a century. Food Safety is critically important to the California Walnut Industry. California Walnuts are grown and processed under strict quality control standards in order to deliver a high quality product year round.
