2016 California walnut shipments are forecast at 670,000 tons, up 11 percent from 2015’s volume of 603,000 tons. For the season starting in 2016 there was an impressive 16.8 percent jump in loadings. Growing conditions and quality are reported good for the 2017 crop. One of the larger California nut shippers is Mariani Nut Co. of Winters, CA, which grows almonds and walnuts in the Sacramento Valley on 14,000 irrigated acres.
Posts Tagged “California date shipments”
Joolies, the Coachella, California-based date brand known for bringing a fresh, modern approach to one of the world’s oldest fruits, is entering the 2026–27 season in a strong supply position, with approximately 50% more fruit available than last year and high-quality Medjool dates to support its growing retail footprint and future expansion.
Another grower, shipper, Natural Delights® is entering the 2026-27 crop year with strong quality, ample volume and an early harvest from the Bard Valley.
The brand grew out of Kohl Family Farm, where the family has cultivated organic Medjool dates, known as the “King of Dates”, in California’s Coachella Valley for four generations. Joolies was co-founded in 2018 by longtime date grower David Kohl and seasoned entrepreneur and former Wonderful Company executive Greg Willsey, combining four generations of agricultural expertise with deep consumer brand experience.
Today, Joolies partners with additional growers who share the same commitment to quality, expanding the brand’s supply of organic fruit as it continues to scale.
“We’re heading into the season in an incredibly strong position, with a beautiful Medjool crop coming in and plenty of supply to support where we’re headed,” said Greg Willsey, co-founder of Joolies. “We’ve seen tremendous growth and excitement around dates over the last several years, and we believe there’s still so much opportunity ahead. We’re excited to keep growing with our retail partners, welcome new opportunities and continue Changing the Date-ing Game.”
The date category continues to gain household adoption, with U.S. household penetration reaching nearly 12% in 2025, according to Circana. Joolies is outpacing that momentum. According to the most recent SPINS MULO data, Joolies is one of the fastest-growing brands in the date category and now ranks No. 2 in date fruit sales nationwide.
For the 12 weeks ending June 30, 2026, Joolies grew 28.9% year over year—nearly three times the 9.9% growth of the overall date fruit category. Its retail footprint has also expanded to more than 12,000 stores nationwide, up from roughly 7,000 a year ago.
About Joolies
Joolies is a California-based date brand on a mission to help more people fall in love with dates. Rooted in four generations of date-growing experience in California’s Coachella Valley, Joolies has been Changing the Date-ing Game through quality organic dates, bold branding and innovative date-based snacks. From whole fruit to candy-inspired Date Sours, Joolies continues to explore just how far dates can go—making one of the world’s oldest fruits feel fresh, fun and unmistakably Joolies.
Joolies is available in more than 12,000 retail locations nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Target, Sprouts Farmers Market, Costco, Albertsons, Safeway, Hy-Vee, The Fresh Market, Erewhon, HEB, Wakefern, Ralphs and more.
Natural Delight Dates
Natural Delights® is entering the 2026-27 crop year with strong quality, ample volume and an early harvest.
Harvest began in early August in Bard Valley, where favorable weather throughout the growing season has produced strong fruit quality and volume. The conditions are a welcome change from the previous two seasons, when rain arrived early in the harvest window and created additional challenges for growers.
The Bard Valley is located in California’s Imperial Valley near the Arizona and Mexican border.
“The fruit looks excellent, we feel very good about our volume, and the early harvest puts us in a strong position to support our retail partners throughout the year,” said David Baxter, CEO of Natural Delights. “We’re entering the season with tremendous momentum behind the category and some exciting plans for how we will continue driving that growth.”
Over the past five years, the date category has nearly doubled and grown to become the largest segment within dried fruit at retail, according to Circana data.
Here’s a shipping outlook for dates and various nuts coming out of California.
A bumper crop of California date shipments is seen by some coming out the Southern California desert region, with yields reported to be 20 percent higher than last season.
Harvest got underway with the beginning of September. Among the major California date shippers are Hadley Date Gardens of Thermal, Atlas Produce and Distribution of Bakersfield, and Sunsweet Growers Inc. of Yuba City.
Walnut and Almond Shipments
California grows and ships nearly all walnuts in the U.S. and has 315,000 bearing acres due to the region’s mild climate and deep fertile soils providing ideal growing conditions.