After a 20 year absence in the UK the California walnut Commission is about to launch a brand new promotional and PR campaign following a huge surge in walnut consumption in the UK.
Senior Marketing Director Michelle McNeil Connelly who is spearheading the new campaign explains “The CWC will be launching a program in the UK in 2017 to showcase the health taste and versatility benefits of walnuts to both consumer and trade audiences. We look forward to the opportunity to make walnuts more available to consumers through retail, food service and processed food applications.”
The California walnut harvest is underway for the 2016-17 season having begun in September. The harvest is expected to be complete in November.
“The UK has emerged as a strong consumer of walnuts, in the last crop year direct shelled walnut shipments were up an estimated 133% to reach over 8.7 million pounds. This contributed to the UK being the 11th largest export market for California walnuts,” she added.
The 2016 California walnut production is forecast at 670,000 short tons, up 11% from 2015’s production of 603,000 short tons, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Walnut production continues to grow, in fact the current estimate for 2016 is the largest crop on record at 670,000 short tons, up 11% from 2015.
More than 99% of walnuts grown in the United States come from California’s 315,000 bearing acres of walnut orchards. The Central Valley of California is the state’s prime walnut growing region, with a mild climate and deep fertile soils that provide ideal growing conditions.
CALIFORNIA WALNUTS
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