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Walnut Growers

Partner with the right walnut fruit growers to best benefit your gourmet food business

By Niki Hampton, Freelance Journalist Self Employed
Walnuts are one of the most well-known and loved nuts in the country and across the world. Walnut Growers dot the US, offering an array of bulk walnuts, wholesale walnuts, black walnuts, and English walnuts. Walnuts are a perfect partner of chocolate, cookie bases, and marshmallow creme as they offer rich flavor, texture and a natural sweetness.

Choose from raw, organic, bulk, or wholesale walnuts in multiple states of processing including shelled, roasted, salted or just raw. To find the best walnut companies and purchase the walnut varieties most popular with your customers, you should:

1. Survey your customers about the types of walnut candies or other food containing walnuts that they prefer to help you determine which ones to offer in your food business.

2. Purchase walnuts from reputable walnut farms that offer quick service and quality guarantees.

3. Ask for walnuts wholesale, shipping discounts and other deals to save money and in turn pass the savings on to your customers.

 

Decide on the types of walnuts you need for your recipes or treats for gourmet gifts

Before looking for a walnut grower, you should narrow down the varieties of walnuts you need. If you want to leave your options open, find a walnut producer with many offerings and a quick shipping policy to get your custom orders to you quickly. If you have the time and space on your property to plant a grove of walnut trees, consider growing walnuts yourself. Walnut growing gives you the freedom to control the quality and processing of the nuts you produce to sell or use in your food product.
Try: Attend one of the many events hosted by the Northern Nut Growers Association, Inc. to meet walnut growers and find out the latest in walnut processing and growing. Contact Bill Heiman, the Black Walnut expert, for the Indiana Nut Growers Association with questions on black walnuts and the best ways to use them in confectionery treats.

Purchase walnuts or walnut trees from a reputable walnut grower

When looking for a walnut supplier, find one with a large variety of walnuts that are fresh picked. You want a grower who has been in the business awhile and can offer solid references. If you are looking for custom walnuts, find organic walnut growers offering high quality walnut and processing applications such as shelling and roasting.
Try: High Mesa, Inc. sells walnuts in bulk fresh from the farm to you. They offer a variety of processes, including shelled and raw. The Nursery of TyTy is the leading online seller of walnut trees.

Ask for wholesale walnuts, shipping discounts and other deals to save money

Don't be afraid to ask for discounts or purchase through a wholesale walnut grower. You should be entitled to discounts if the walnuts are not fresh, if it's the end of the season, if you are purchasing a large quantity or if you offer to pick up the walnuts instead of have them delivered.
Try: Bulk Foods offers a large variety of walnuts, including Black and English, in bulk quantities that can be ordered online and shipped directly to your shop. Nut Trader has walnuts in easy-to-use forms, like chopped for bakers, in bulk quantities that can be shipped to you quickly.

 

  • To save even more money, invest in a walnut shelling machine so you can shell your own nuts and not have to pay someone else for this processing step.

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