Mother Nature had gifted California with cooler temperatures and rainier weather during this past winter and the early spring of 2023. “As a result of the cool winter weather, the typical pistachio harvest start date was delayed by about two weeks for us,” says Diana Salsa, Vice President of Marketing for Wonderful Pistachios. “Despite the delay, harvest peaked in late September and concluded in October like it normally does,” she said. This year’s crop volume is up compared to previous years with California’s total crop size to be about 1.58 billion pounds, the largest crop in history.
Global exports
“Being the world’s largest vertically integrated processor and marketer of pistachios, our products find their way in the domestic market, but a considerable amount of branded and bulk pistachios are exported as well,” Salsa shared. The main distribution points for the company’s pistachio products include the US, Canada, China, Europe, the Middle East, and India.
Pistachio consumption has increased globally and as a result, exports have shown an upward trend. In addition to some of the modern retail in Western Europe, Wonderful is exploring and serving emerging markets in Eastern Europe. These countries have growing economies and are shifting to healthier snacking. “The Middle East is a market with high pistachio awareness as well, and our strategy is to offer high-quality product and dependable delivery.”
Opportunities in India
Another key market for Wonderful’s pistachio products is India. The country’s imports reached an all-time high this year, going up from less than 30 million pounds in 2020, to more than 60 million pounds in 2023. “Tariff reduction and VAT standardization have contributed significantly to this growth.” In addition, growing health trends drive demand for pistachios for snacking, ingredient use and gifting. Nuts are a relevant cultural holiday or hostess gift in India and Wonderful Pistachios dedicates efforts each year to encourage the gifting of pistachios during the festive Diwali season.
Despite the record import numbers from India, there are still opportunities for growth. “In India, almonds and cashews have long been integrated into the everyday eating habits. Pistachios on the other hand are more established as an ingredient than a snack.” They are most often used as a topping or garnish, to cook or bake. “We are working to help reframe pistachios in consumers’ minds as also being a healthy snack, offering opportunities to increase consumption,” Salsa commented. In addition, based on their own internal research, Wonderful Pistachios has concluded that about 75 percent of Indian¹ consumers have eaten pistachios before.
“This number is lower than the average we’ve seen in other countries that were included in the research we’ve conducted, offering further growth opportunities.” As the most populous country in the world, India is a priority market for Wonderful and the company plans to further invest in India to better support their local market with bulk pistachios.
