The pistachio harvest is about to start again. In California, The Wonderful Company is eagerly anticipating what the harvest will look like. 

“We start harvesting in the second week of September. We’re expecting a regular harvest this year. In the cycle, a very good year is always followed by an ‘off’ year. But we still have to wait a bit. The contents of the pistachios will only become known when they’re harvested. Within four weeks we’ll know what 2017 will bring!”

Best season ever
He looks back at 2016 with satisfaction. “Last year was a record harvest, we had more than 400,000 tonnes of volume in California. This resulted in a dro in prices in all countries. This was the best season both in terms of harvest and of sales.” Wonderful is well-known in the US. “We have a market share of more than 80 per cent there. Considering last year’s large volumes, we have been dedicating advertising towards the consumer. Because of this, we saw nearly a doubling in sales. We could continue the trend of good sales on most continents. The sales volume of Californian pistachios in Europe as good as doubled, and in China it even tripled. The bad Iranian harvest also played its part during this season. Besides, the most important competitor in nuts, cashews, had a historically high price level.”

Less salt
He indicates that the increase in consumption could be seen on all markets. “Some countries, like the Netherlands, buy small volumes. Yet we also saw increasing consumption there.” Last season, Wonderful introduced pistachio nuts with 50 per cent less salt. “That’s also catching on nicely. Each type of pistachio has its own target audience. We want to offer something for everyone.”

He indicates they’re going to create new moments to use the pistachios in future. “People should eat them even more easily. That’s why we’ll introduce a new product in 2018: pistachio nuts without shell. We’ve been selling these in the US for years, but we’re also going to introduce it on other markets. It’s a good combination of healthy snacking and convenience. Especially ‘on-the-go’ people often wonder what to do with the shells. It will be a more expensive segment, but that group should be willing to pay for it.”