By Frank Lopez — The Business Journal
Published April 3rd, 2026
Nichols Farms in Hanford, a fourth-generation family pistachio grower and processor, recently expanded its silo storage and processing equipment to prepare for higher yields in the coming years.
The move comes as much of the ag sector is in contraction, contending with reduced demand, trade barriers and other financial pressures. But Nichols is bullish on its pistachios, using the current “off year” cycle of the crop as a test run for their new storage capacity and anticipating higher crop yields by 2029.
Nichols Farms operates about 4,000 acres of pistachios. Jeff Nichols, supply chain and grower relations vice president, said the pistachio industry experienced a record crop this season. There was a total of 1.57 billion
pounds in total receipts for the 2025- 26 harvest, translating to 1.34 billion pounds of marketable inventory that is up 4% from the previous season, according to the Administrative Committee for Pistachios.
Jeff Nichols said the recent increase in the popularity of Dubai chocolate — a style of rich chocolate in bars filled with pistachio-tahini cream and chopped filo pastry — demand for pistachios has soared.
“There are not enough pistachios right now to fulfill that demand around the world,” Jeff said. “It’s been a good year selling pistachios so far.” Nichols Farms will have 11 of its products in Sprouts stores starting in early April, Jeff Nichols said. The protein craze is also a positive factor, he added.
On again, off again
Since 2025 was an “on year” for pistachios, 2026 is anticipated to see a lighter crop. The Kerman pistachio variety, which makes a majority of what’s grown in California, is more susceptible to alternating growth seasons, said James Nichols, vice president of farming operations.
The Lost Hills variety, a relatively new female pistachio cultivar released by the University of California in 2005 that produces a higher percentage of edible nuts, is also less susceptible to alternate bearing seasons. Golden Hills is another relatively new variety that produces higher yields and maintains a low percentage of loose shells and kernels.
“One of the big variables and why it’s hard to predict on what the market is going to do is because the newer varieties are much less susceptible to alternate bearing and are becoming a much higher percentage of the total volume we receive,” James Nichols said.
Read the full piece at www.thebusinessjournal.com.
